Raising Maria
by Sonic Rose
Summary: Yet more of Shadow's Domestic life exposed. Will Maria grow up to be as sweet as the human she's named after? Or will she be a little fireball after Sonic's image? Time will tell. Shadow in Love #3 SIL#3
1. It's all Routine

Author's Notes: Well, welcome to the Third or fourth installment of Flirting Shadows. Ups and Downs intended to be a brief collection of short domestic stories featuring Shadow and his home life. Obviously that spiraled a little bit out of control lol! I don't think there will be any villains to face in this, but it will contain larger timeskips! If you're not sure about this Shadow/OC couple, please check out Flirting Shadows and then Ups and Downs... there's an order to the stories!

As usual, Sonic, Shadow, Amy etc are © SEGA

Sara, Blitz etc. belong to moi. ;)

* * *

Shadow was asleep on the couch, one arm draped over the side. It was a lazy Saturday and he was determined to get a bit of well-earned rest. Unfortunately for him, someone else had other ideas. A toddling, one year old Maria walked over to the couch. The midnight blue hedgehog didn't think twice about wrapping her arms around Shadow's or tugging on it for attention.

"Papa!" She beamed proudly.

A crimson eye flew open and targeted the child. Any harshness evaporated when he got a good look at the bright cherry eyes of his daughter. Shadow sighed softly and rolled over on his back, hoisting the child onto his stomach. "Papa's trying to sleep, you lil' scamp," he scolded mildly.

"I love you!" She smiled and placed both hands firmly into the white tuft of fur on his chest.

Shadow sighed softly and stroked his daughter's head. "Yeah. You're a spoiled little princess." He drew his little girl closer and lay her head on his chest. "Now if you can stay there and go to sleep..." He stroked her head gently, the child complying for the time being.

Sara finished up in the kitchen and began walking around the apartment, picking up debris from the floor. A few baby toys and socks were most of the clutter, and though she didn't care much for laundry, she wasn't about to leave tripping hazards around. It wasn't long before she caught sight of Shadow and Maria on the couch, however, a smile forming on her face.

Maria seemed to sense her mother's presence and fought to sit up from under her father's embrace. "Mama! Hungry!" She waved her arms and disturbed Shadow out of his slumber with a mild groan.

"Sorry, hon." Sara set the toys and socks down on a chair before collecting the baby. "So what ya hungry for, baby?"

"Moo moo!" Maria giggled.

Sara laughed a bit. "Mmm... Okay. But you need to eat more than that too, baby." She looked down at Shadow, who didn't seem particularly amused, and lightly rubbed his forehead with her free hand. "I have lunch ready for us grown-ups too."

"Mnnn... Can I sleep a little more, Mommy?" A sarcastic smile crossed Shadow's lips as he tried to close his eyes again.

"No, you've been asleep all day." She flicked his forehead lightly. "I made sloppy joes."

Shadow rubbed his forehead lightly and sat up. He stayed quiet a minute, watching Sara head back toward the kitchenette. The food didn't smell half bad, and since his stomach was now complaining he thought he might comply with her. "I guess I'll get up." He shrugged and headed into the kitchen after her.

* * *

Shadow stood next to Sara, holding a bundled up Maria in his arms while she knocked on the door of Amy and Sonic's house. Since they now had two little ones, the apartment was a bit too small for them.

"Hey, Sonic! How's Amy doing?" Sara asked when the door was opened.

"Ahh, still tired but y'know." He shrugged and opened the door wider. There was always a visual exchange between him and Shadow. It didn't matter how friendly of terms they were on; they always had to bristle their spines as if in rival territory.

"So what'd you name the little rodent this time?" Shadow asked like he'd smelled something bad.

"Shadow!" Sara ribbed her mate.

"It's okay, Cuz." Sonic shrugged it off. "His name's Rift. Come on in." He motioned them in.

Once inside, Sara made a beeline for the new mom, who was holding the new little one on the couch. "Ohh! You got more blue in him this time," Sara commented, taking sight of her new little cousin.

Shadow took a detour to set Maria in a playpen next to Blitz. He gave the boy a similar look to his father and rolled his eyes. "Play nice."

"Hallo." Maria smiled.

"Hi!" Blitz chirped. The two of them did play well, despite any apprehension Shadow held.

"Worried he'll hurt her or somethin'?" Sonic asked, standing a couple feet behind the black and red hedgehog.

"Hmph." He shrugged and turned back toward the living room. "He touches her, it's all on your head."

"Social as ever." Sonic shrugged.

Shadow stopped to watch Sara, Amy, and the new baby. After they'd found out about Amy's second pregnancy, Sara had become infatuated with the idea of another child. Not that Shadow had held back any from her, but as of yet they still just had Maria. It didn't matter to him, but seeing the look on her face holding that baby...

"How are you feeling?" Sara asked Amy after a minute.

"Tired." Amy smiled a bit. "I was hoping for a girl this time." She sighed a bit. "Maria's so sweet."

"Thanks." Sara smiled softly, cradling Rift in her arms. "Hey, Shadow? Look! Isn't he sweet?"

"Maria's cuter," he said casually.

"Well, yeah." Sara practically cooed at the little one.

While the grown-ups chitchatted, Blitz and Maria played with building blocks and stuffed animals. Maria showed her focused nature, able to build up her part of the block tower higher than Blitz. The deep purple hedgehog proved to be action-oriented like his dad, and soon the two children were rolling on the floor in the middle of a tumbling fight. "Waaaaa!"

Shadow was the first to react to Maria's cries, easily prying the two pincushions apart. "Hey!" He partly growled at Blitz while drawing his girl in for comfort. She snuggled against his fluffy chest as usual, seeming to forget whatever happened moments before.

"Aww... Bad Blitz!" Sonic picked up his little boy, though Shadow felt the scolding was only half hearted. While only a week separated the two children, the boy had a fair amount more bulk.

"Come on, nobody's bleeding, it's okay." Sara sighed a bit. "Don't you boys go at it again!" Her warning was more for Sonic and Shadow than the children.

* * *

Sara lay Maria down to bed, tucking her in after a lullaby. She set a Care Bear plushy beside her and kissed her forehead before turning to leave. She paused at the door to her and Shadow's bedroom, seeing her dark lover already in bed and waiting for her.

"You know, it shouldn't be a fight every time we go visit them," Sara said gently before entering the room.

"I know…." Shadow lay back, having expected this course of conversation.

Sara slipped into bed next to him, her eyes a bit shy. "Come on...sometimes you guys are best friends, and other times you guys act like total enemies, which is it?"

Shadow sighed and turned toward Sara. His eyes wandered her form a bit while contemplating a satisfactory answer. "I don't know…."

"Is it because of the kids?" Sara dared to nestle a bit closer to him. Shadow nodded and nuzzled against her, wrapping his arms around Sara. "Blitz isn't Sonic."

"I know...I know...I just don't..." Shadow sighed a bit. "Now there's two of them."

"Well, if you keep thinking that way then I guess they're doomed to conflict." Sara's turn to sigh.

"I don't want that." He held her closer, but he could sense she was a bit tense tonight.

"Can you try to be a little bit more civil, then?" Sara rested her head on his tuft of fur, nestling into the soft pillow it made for her.

"Yeah." Shadow stroked her fur lightly, feeling a bit guilty about earlier that day. He also remembered her reaction to Rift. "...You really want another one?"

"Hmmm? Yeah." Sara continued to cuddle up to him.

"Why?" Shadow lightly licked behind her ears, his mate finally starting to relax.

"I like kids?" She nestled against him further.

"They eat, sleep, and poop...and let's not forget cry." Shadow said in his driest tone while still attempting to caress her.

"Well yeah, but I know you smile every time she says she loves you." A coy grin seated itself on Sara's face.

There was no denying that. He held Sara a little bit tighter. "Yeah. You think we can handle raising two?" He leaned in and gave Sara a soft kiss.

"Yeah. You're really sweet to Maria already." She returned another kiss to him. Shadow found himself lost and absorbed in her tender embrace once more. He'd give the world to her if he could, but right now her only desires were for peace and another baby. At least he could have fun trying to grant that wish.


	2. Making Changes

Two was a year of firsts and explorations for Maria. Everything seemed to go into her mouth... Everything. Shadow was having a hard time finding things that she wouldn't try to explore orally, and the cabinets had to be given child latches after a near-choking mishap. Though, in hindsight, Sara had a bit better sense of humor about it; Shadow had nearly turned white at the scene.

It was also a year of relief for a couple of worn out parents. The freedom that came with successful toilet training meant no more diapers. Moving to solid foods meant mommy's chest belonged to daddy again. Of course, the increased size and motor skills also meant more nap time, which meant Sara got quite a bit more shuteye.

For Shadow and Sara, there were more than a few changes. Shadow's job paid well enough that Sara wasn't required to work to make ends meet. She gladly turned in her two week's notice so she could be a full-time mom. Chris enjoyed baby-sitting, but, of course, he wasn't always available. The apartment was one thing that hadn't changed, however, and for now it was still just big enough for the three of them.

* * *

Blitz' and Maria's birthdays were close enough together that, for their third birthday, it would be shared together. The guest list was still pretty small, though, with "Grandpa Chuck" being the primary attendee along with Chris. Chris had brought his friend Helen, though; the pair had been rather close lately. Since she was confined to a wheelchair, it was best that the party was held at Sonic and Amy's.

Happy birthday, Blitz and Maria... Happy birthday to you!

The two children giggled and laughed at the singing in their honor. They were presented a nice large cake in the shape of a number 3 with candles for them to blow out.

"Make a wish!" Sara encouraged. The two looked very serious for a minute before nodding and blowing out the candles.

Applause shot up from the parents and guests, except Shadow, who was not entirely amused. "There we go! That's my lil' boy!" Amy beamed at Blitz.

"Doesn't seem like it was that long ago when you guys were single," Chris mused as the cake was cut.

"Yeah, time sure has flown," Amy agreed, smiling at her not so baby boy. She had to restrain Rift, who wanted to smash the piece of cake floating his way.

"Be patient, Maria, your piece is coming!" Sara smiled softly. "Hon? You want ice cream with your piece or no?"

"Yeah," Shadow replied.

"And what does my little granddaughter want for her birthday?" Charles asked mildly to Maria.

"A pony!" Maria smiled wide.

"Well...that's a direct response." He chuckled lightly. "We'll see what kind of gifts you get."

"How fast are they now?" Chris inquired.

"Fast enough to give me trouble!" Amy shook her head.

"Be running circles around me soon enough." Sonic grinned.

Shadow handed a slice of cake and scoop of ice cream to Maria, whom he had in his lap. "She's fast enough."

Helen noticed how the darker hedgehog had separated Maria from the ruckus, and how she stayed quiet even with all the noise going on about them. It was like he created a little haven for her; she wasn't quite sure what to think of it. "She's very well behaved for her age, isn't she?" she finally commented on the young female hedgehog.

"Yeah, she doesn't give us much trouble anymore." Sara smiled softly. She thoroughly enjoyed the piece of chocolate cake she'd been given. After weaning Maria off mother's milk, chocolate and caffeine returned to her diet, which made her and Shadow a lot happier for its effects.

"What do you mean by that?" Chris asked.

"Ohh... Just that it's a lot different having a three year old than an infant." She shrugged a bit and took a bite of ice cream...mint chocolate, her favorite.

Chris and Helen exchanged looks briefly before the party continued. Gifts were given out after the cake and ice cream, the two children more interested in the wrappings and bows than the gifts themselves. Somehow, Maria managed to pluck a My Little Pony from its packaging, satisfying the pony need she'd expressed earlier. Clothing, which Chris and Helen had contributed, was far more appreciated by the parents than the recipient children. Blitz' big toy was a roaring Charizard doll, which he then chased Maria around with. All in all, it was a pretty good party.

* * *

July was hot, and as such, beaches and pools were crowded with people trying to stay cool. Shadow was glad it was one of Sonic's work days, as he and Sara had arranged to visit the Thorndyke's that day. The very pool Sonic had almost drowned in once was crystal clear but also full of chemicals trying to find that fine line between clean and swimmable.

Chris had become a pretty tall teenager, and he looked a bit funny in his swimming trunks. But it was amazing to the hedgehog couple that Helen had chosen to come as well. She looked something like a mermaid in her swimmer, which understandably hosted floatation devices Chris didn't need. "If you get tired at all, let me know, okay?" He smiled to the blonde human, who clung to him as he lowered them both into the pool.

It had occurred to Sara that the two might be smitten, though she wasn't sure Shadow had caught on. "Here's where I prove I'm part fish," she said at last, heading into the water wearing a rainbow colored bathing suit.

Shadow held Maria in his arms. The little hedgehog had two floating armbands and a doughnut-shaped dragon she clung to cheerfully. In her other hand she had a My Little Pony with ratted up hair and crayon and marker stains all over it. The symbol on its rump was partly washed away and you'd never know that only a few months ago it was brand new.

"Ready to swim?" Shadow asked softly as he headed out to the water. He wasn't the best swimmer himself, but he and Sonic had eventually learned how to swim some time ago.

"Yeah!" Maria beamed cheerfully. She really enjoyed her bath times, something most parents would be glad of, so getting into deeper water was just a new extension of that.

Shadow waded out into the water until he was waist deep. The water was rather chilly compared to the blistering hot day, and he wondered how Maria would react. "Here we go!" He smiled softly, remembering a time when he just had to tease her belly to be besieged with laughter. He lightly touched Maria's toes to the water, and she kicked at it fiercely, sending splashes of water everywhere and giggling madly.

"Papa, it's cold!" she complained, squirming in his arms.

"Come on, it's fine! You're a big girl!" He squinted one eye to shield from the splashing child. After a few minutes of splashing, she'd forgotten all about any temperature changes, and Shadow lowered her to her waist. "There we go, that's a good girl."

"He's really good with her, isn't he?" Chris asked Sara as she swam out to the deep end.

The sky blue hedgehog turned and smiled. "Yeah. He's really patient, you know?"

"Ahh…. Sonic's not very patient at all." Chris chuckled.

"Well you know that's how he is, Chris," Helen put in. She was very capable of propelling herself with her arms, which she did, putting the human boy to shame.

"Pony!" Maria cried as she accidentally let go of her plastic horse toy. Shadow wasn't quite quick enough in grabbing it before it floated out of range. "Papa! Pony!!" She squirmed in his arms.

"Ahhh! Maria! Stop it!" Shadow said firmly, trying to reign in her kicks and flailing arms. While he was holding her in the water it was one thing, but she wasn't ready to go solo just yet!

"Excuse me. Mom to the rescue." Sara smirked and dove under water.

"Waaaa!" Maria cried as the pony drifted further from her grasp.

"It's okay, it's only a few feet away, we'll get your pony back!" Shadow's ear flicked in an annoyed way as she continued to cry. Maria's tears became deafening when the pony went under the water, pushing Shadow's nerves to their limits. A few moments later, though, she found himself nose to nose with Sara and the crying stopped.

"Looking for something?" she said warmly and offered the pony back to their daughter.

"Yay! Mama!! Mama's my hero!" Maria giggled.

"You couldn't have done that before my eardrums burst?" Shadow said softly, though he worked in a quick appreciative kiss.

"Sorry, I thought Super Dad had it sewn up." Sara continued to smile.

"Har har." Shadow checked on his girl, who was happily dancing the pony along her floatation device.

"You know...I think we're being watched," Sara said softly.

Shadow glanced beyond her to Chris and Helen. "So?"

"Ahh...don't be dense...Chris has seen his best friends coupled with kids for three years now... He and Helen are adults, you know." Sara shook her head lightly.

"You're saying they're studying us?" He monitored his floating cargo, making sure she couldn't break free, and that the pony was secure.

"Yeah. I think they're encouraged by our success." Her smile was radiant, and Shadow wondered if there wasn't more behind it.

"Oohh... Well, we have been pretty successful, haven't we?" Shadow said with a hint of pride.

"Mmmhmm..." Sara swam a bit around Shadow and Maria. "We've been together over three years and have a wonderful daughter." He watched his mate circle the pool, seeming so carefree. He wondered if Maria would remain an only child for long. The bathing suit hugged Sara's form pretty well, and Shadow thought he might have been reading into things to imagine any imperfection in it a potential brother or sister for his little girl.


	3. Family Gatherings

Shadow's hopes of another child were cast aside when Sara's case of morning sickness a couple weeks later turned out to be a normal variety of sickness. It was a bit of a disappointment for the both of them. Shadow hadn't been too serious in the pursuit of another child, but the false alarm had been a blow to his ego. How had Sonic gotten Amy pregnant in less than a year from their first child, and three years in, he still just had Maria? Not that he had room to complain, but it was something of a puzzlement.

Shadow sat on the living room floor with a green box made up to look like a school bus next to him. A number of materials from the box were scattered on the floor with Maria sitting a few feet from him. He pulled a cardboard shape from it and held it up for her to see. "What's this?"

"Circle!" Maria beamed.

"Very good," Shadow said softly. "And what color is it?"

"Red!"

"Good girl." He smiled gently toward her and reached for the next shape, an orange square. He didn't like the color orange much. "This?" He pointed.

"S... Skare." Maria nodded.

"Square," Shadow repeated patiently. "Color?"

"O...or...orange." She clapped her hands together cheerfully.

He picked up the next shape in the series, another circle; this one was purple. "What's this, Maria?"

"Circle!"

"And what color is it?" He tilted his ear toward her, used to her snap responses.

"Pritty."

He knit his brows together and tried to figure that one out. "Pretty?" he quizzed.

"Pritty!" She smiled.

"No…. It's Purple. Purr...like a cat," Shadow corrected.

"Pritty!" she replied again.

"It's the same color as Blitz. What color is Blitz?" he tried again.

"Pritty," the girl insisted.

An annoyed grunt escaped her father. "Purple... Try it again... Purple, okay?"

"Okay." Maria folded her hands in her lap and stared up at her dad with the brightest jewel red eyes ever.

Shadow sighed. "Pretty is not a color. Purple is a color." Shadow rubbed his forehead and glanced over to a cracked open bedroom door.

"Mommy's sick." Maria frowned a bit.

Shadow's hand patted her gently. "Yeah. Why don't you pick these up? I'll be back in a minute." He stood and headed to the bedroom, knowing full well that the cardboard and activity cards would still be strewn on the floor when he got back. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, hearing Sara cough a few times as he entered.

Even wrapped in a bundle of blankets, Sara's flushed face peeked out at her lover apologetically. "Yeah, I'll live," she coughed, trying to smile in spite of the cold.

"You're a bad liar." Shadow lay down on the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around the bundle of hedgehog.

Sara laughed softly, only to be thrown into another coughing fit. "How's Maria?"

"Good. She thinks purple is pretty." He released her and brushed Sara's bangs aside; they were thin tendrils soaked with sweat instead of silky flowing ribbons of hair. He sighed a bit at that.

"She has good taste." Sara smiled back.

"Can I get you anything?" He lightly stroked her quills, trying to ignore her higher body temperature. He couldn't help resting his palm on her forehead while she leaned against him as though his hand were an ice cube.

"Yeah. Can I get a new thermostat? I'd like to be something other than really hot or really cold for a change." Sara smiled even though Shadow's eyes didn't convey any humor to them. "Cold water and a fresh compress in the meantime."

"Thanks for the translation." He rolled his eyes lightly and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before going to retrieve said items for her. As he suspected, the activity cards and shapes were still on the floor when he returned. They may have actually been in further disarray if he wasn't mistaken, as Maria was looking for a particular card.

"Papa! Can you read me this?" She held up one of the cards with a picture of a vulture wearing a ring on the front and a dog.

"Yeah, in a minute." He got Sara a glass of ice water and a wet hand towel. He quickly went about serving his mate before paying Maria any more attention.

"How come you never get sick?" Sara sipped at the ice water idly as she asked.

"Probably my alien DNA." Shadow shrugged. The only time he could remember being sick was a case of food poisoning...and soap operas. "You sure you're okay?"

"Nope. But I will be. See, imperfection means you get to take care of me when there's a problem." She smiled softly.

"Yeah yeah. Watch me fall apart every time you sneeze, will ya?" He shook his head lightly and headed back to his little girl. The school bus box had housed a number of activity cards and games, but it also had cards that held little short stories. The story Maria had chosen was about a vain ol' buzzard who prized a gold ring. One day she lost it in the cleft of a rock, and a small puppy was the only one who could fish it out for her. It wasn't an exciting story, but it was just another thing to set the bonds between father and daughter.

* * *

Crisp air began moving through Station Square again, which meant birthdays were arriving. Shadow finally confided that September third should be his birthday, and the two had decided on a romantic evening out to celebrate. Sara's was at the end of the month, but she liked a little more social birthday for herself. A couple years ago she'd been pregnant during her birthday; not this year, it seemed.

In the meantime there was a family outing to the local zoo. "You don't find coming here a bit disturbing?" Chris asked, walking beside the couple. He and Helen had joined them, as well as Sonic and his family.

"Nah. We have animals like this on Mobius," Sara chuckled.

"You didn't think we made chili dogs out of friends, did you?" Sonic quirked a brow.

Chris blushed a bit. Of course, he had offered Sonic dog food once upon a time. "You have a favorite animal?" he asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Cheetah!" Sara piped up. "It's the fastest thing on four legs."

"Yeah, Sonic raced one in Africa." Amy rolled her eyes, cradling Rift to her. "Wound up carrying the poor beast!" The group laughed.

"I like birds." Helen smiled softly. "They get to fly away and have all the freedom of the skies."

"I like ponies!" Maria beamed, clinging to her mother's hand.

"Yes, we know you do." Sara smiled at her little girl. She carried her birthday pony everywhere with her. It'd definitely seen better days, and part of its left eye was even scuffed up. She wondered how it had become so old in only a few months, but such was the life of toys.

"I like monkeys. They climb lots!" Blitz put in.

"So what kind of animals do you like, Shadow?" Chris asked after they'd walked a ways into the zoo.

"...Snakes," he replied.

The group went by a number of animal enclosures. The kids were thrilled with the big cats like the lions and tigers, and Sara, of course, liked the cheetah run. Sonic had threatened to break into the "run" and show them how it's done, but Amy had managed to knock some sense into him. The ape house was a favorite with Blitz, who enjoyed climbing all over stuff at home, so that was no surprise.

The aquarium, the aviary, and the reptile house were then hit up in that order. Since it was all handicap accessible, they had no problem with Helen being along. She really enjoyed the aviary, and a couple of birds had even perched on her wheelchair. The aquarium had gotten a number of ooohs and ahhhs from the group, centered around the sharks it had and a dark exhibit with flashlight fish, which glowed in the dark. The reptile house creeped Maria out, and she cried about halfway through it, where an exhibit showed the skeleton of an anaconda. Shadow attempted to console her, but she wouldn't stop crying until they were outside.

The last stop in the zoo was the petting zoo, a little section with domestic animals set up. "Maria? Want to pet the pony?" Shadow asked gently.

"Pony?!" The girl brightened and was led over to a stable with a tame small pony.

"Funny seeing Shadow like that," Sonic commented once he was out of earshot.

"Like what, Sonic?" Amy glanced at him.

"Ahh, just the way he handles Maria. Never woulda thought it possible." He shrugged.

"Well you don't have a sensitive bone in your body, what do you know, Sonic?!" Amy made a face at him.

Sara laughed and went over to the animal pens. "Maria! Careful!" Her warnings came too late, as a goat proceeded to nibble on her My Little Pony's frizzy hair. Crying ensued.

"Crap!" Shadow tried to pull back the toy with one hand and handle a crying Maria in the other.

"Sorry! I should've been watching!" Sara apologized and pushed the goat's head gently aside as she surveyed the damage. "Ahh, it's not so bad." She took a pin out of her hair and clipped it to the remaining fluff on the pony toy's head.

"Aww! Cool!" Maria stopped crying and giggled in delight at the pony's new hairstyle.

"How do you do that?" Shadow's crimson eyes made contact with the deep brown pools of his love. They always seemed to sparkle knowingly.

"I'm a mom." She smirked a bit too much like Sonic and gave him a quick kiss before turning back to the wiry furred goat she was pushing aside. "Maria? Want to see the camel next?"


	4. Big Events

The following April, Shadow found himself being squeezed into a white tuxedo. At age 19, Chris had proposed to Helen and, of course, the hedgehog couple had been invited to the festivities. Chris was tied to a lot of money through his folks, and it definitely showed up in the glamorous wedding. A large church had been rented out for the event, and over 500 guests arrived from points on Earth and Mobius.

"Does Chris even know half the people here?" Shadow asked while fighting the tie Sara was putting on him.

"Nope. A lot of them are her mom and dad's connections," Sara replied patiently, attempting to redo the tie. Shadow grunted stiffly, resenting having his quills lashed down to accommodate the suit. "Aww come on, you know his Mobian friends are on the honored list."

"Easy for you to say, you're one of the bridesmaids...and you don't have your quills squished against your back for a damn suit!" He growled lightly, only to receive a small kiss on his cheek.

"It won't be for long." She smiled softly at him. "Amy told me she was thinking of making Sonic go through a wedding."

"Nnngg... What for? They're mates already."

"She thinks the whole marriage thing is romantic." Sara's hands took Shadow's and her eyes fell on the twin friendship bracelets they wore. It was the closest they had to a wedding ring; they'd exchanged no vows, but the bond was there from the moment they'd become mates.

"You don't want that, do you?" Shadow became a bit worried at the train of thought. This was already a bigger deal than he wanted it to be, and he didn't think they could afford something nearly this elaborate.

"Hmmm... Well, maybe not this big." She smiled softly. "Come on, let's go take our places." Sara turned around and Shadow got a good look at her in the bridesmaid dress. It was a silky gown in pale yellow, which trailed slightly behind her. Her back was bare, with the fabric forming a V down to the small of her back that was held together with white lace straps. The lace and sequins accented her beautiful sky blue form, and he couldn't help feeling a bit awestruck at her beauty.

The wedding ceremony was a lovely one with typical church organs blaring. Sonic had been passed over for best man in favor of Chris' human friend Danny, but the Mobians invited had front row seating to the event. Blitz got to be the ring bearer while Maria made a darling flower girl. She very happily scattered the white rose petals on the floor.

Chris himself had his wild hair tamed down for the event and looked very good in his black tuxedo. Helen was absolutely radiant in her wedding dress. Even if she had to be rolled down the isle by her father, she was a perfect blushing bride, and Chris absolutely could not take his eyes off her.

Touching vows were exchanged as the host of people watched in rapt attention. Amy and Sara were on the edges of their seats, swooning to the lovely words. The promises of forever, of love in all conditions were the promises Mobians made in secret. Sonic and Shadow could tell from their mates' reactions that this public exchange of love was something they desired, and the two felt their quills pinching a bit tighter against their restraints.

The wedding reception was where the guys were allowed to cut loose a bit more and the guests split off into more familiar groups. Tails had come to the wedding on the arm of a beautiful vixen named Fiona; apparently she had distracted him from his scientific studies. Knuckles had finally settled down with his sweetheart Julie-su, and from the looks of her bulging belly, they'd be expecting a little one in the near future.

"Thank you all so much for coming." Chris said as he finally made his way to his preferred guests.

"Not a problem!" Sonic smiled.

"Nice to see we're not the only ones coupled off." The human smiled at the Mobian pairs who'd come along.

"Yeah, about time, don't you think?" Julie-su said with a hint of annoyance at Knuckles.

The red echidna blushed deeply at that. "Hey, I was just waiting for the right timing!"

"Well it looks like you wasted no time," Sara commented, smiling at the bulging tummy.

"Yeah. I'd like to have a couple kids, if he's up to it." The pink echidna smiled fondly.

"How many do you want?" Sara turned to Helen now, who blushed a bit.

"Aahh! We haven't even been on our honeymoon and you're asking that? Well...three maybe," The bride replied with a laugh.

All the talk about babies had Shadow feeling a bit uncomfortable. He glanced down at the cluster of kids next to them. Maria was fiddling with the hem of her dress while Blitz was vocally begging for more food. Rift had been surprisingly quiet but the bluish-purple hedgehog stayed at his brother's side. "...So where are you going?" Shadow asked.

"Huh? Oh...we're going to Japan." Chris smiled, "It should be a lot of fun, we're going to tour the Hokkaido region."

"Ahh! I heard it's lovely there! Would you bring me back some materials?" Sara smiled. She still had her fascination with all things Japanese.

"Sure sure, and a pretty Kimono for Amy I'm sure." the young human smiled.

Everyone in attendance had a good time at the reception. There were plenty of moments caught on film, such as Helen smashing a piece of cake into her new husband's face. Sonic had enjoyed getting back together with his Mobian friends who'd stayed on Mobius, and the kids were happy to meet their parents' friends and relations. Sam Speed, or rather Trace Beat, managed to entertain the kids with his bad jokes for a while. Cake was passed around, and the food and music continued into the wee hours of the dawn. The hedgehog families eventually bade the newlyweds farewell and had to carry sleeping children home from the party.

* * *

Summer rolled around hot and heavy as it had the year before. Shadow felt like a change of scenery would be good, so Sara and Maria packed up for a camping trip to Mobius. Boulder Bay was east of Knothole and the chosen location for the getaway. Hidden among the pine and spruce leaves, it also offered shelter from the generally intense heat. The bay's being so close also offered a watery escape.

"You missed Mobius, didn't you?" Shadow said softly while attempting to assemble their tent.

"Yeah. I think it's good for Maria to see where mommy came from." Sara went about clearing up the camp site and setting up a place for the fire later.

Maria busied herself at collecting twigs and sticks and set them in a pile. "Oooh! Snake!"

Shadow and Sara turned to her immediately to find her poking at a garter snake. Shadow grinned a bit and knelt next to her. "I thought you didn't like snakes."

"Snakes at the zoo were really big," Maria replied, trying to grab the snake.

Shadow picked it up and the small snake slithered along his hand. "This kind eats mostly bugs...it's smooth, not slimy, see?"

Maria nodded. "This is Mobius?"

"Yep." Shadow gave her a light hug and then went back to assembling the tent.

The outdoor setting was perfect for Maria to show off her speed. While Shadow had plenty of opportunities to run about, the apartment wasn't a good place for the girl to speed off. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Sara had a good chance to see her mate and child run free. The two of them chased each other through the woods, weaving in and out of the trees effortlessly. Maria seemed to have picked up on her father's speed, and the special shoes he'd had made for her allowed her to glide along just like he did.

At night, s'mores were toasted over the camp fire and ghost stories were told. It was a gorgeous starry night out, and Shadow related a few stories of his time on the Ark. Maria enjoyed hearing stories and soon drifted off to sleep.

Shadow gently moved their daughter into the kiddie tent and into her own sleeping bag, tucking her in carefully. He then backed out of the kiddie tent and headed to the one he'd set up for himself and Sara. She was kneeling at the tent's entrance after he slipped inside. "Hmm?"

"It was nice watching you two run today," Sara said gently.

"Hmm?"

She slipped into the tent and sat next to him, leaving the flap open enough that they could see the stars through the treetops. "I don't get to see you in action much."

"Oh…. I could take you for a run sometime," Shadow replied, placing an arm around her.

"I'd like that," she replied and leaned against him.

"...So what would make this trip perfect?" He lay back and pulled Sara with him in his arms.

"Perfect? I thought things were perfect." Sara smiled softly and lay against him. "Just you, me, and Maria."

"Yeah, and I know you want another one," he said softly in her ear.

Sara's expression wavered momentarily. "Oh...well...it's not that important.."

"Yeah right. Everybody's popping babies left and right...Knuckles and Julie-su…I think Tails and Fiona are expecting...don't think I haven't heard about Rouge. Heck, even Helen's pregnant now." Shadow's tone was surprisingly firm. She remained quiet, hearing him out. "You've been wanting one since Amy was pregnant with Rift." She felt his hand trace along her soft belly.

"Why bring it up now?" she asked softly.

"I was doing some research...they say a relaxing environment can help...stimulate things," he whispered back to her.

Sara's ears perked up. "Ahh...you mean you had more than one reason for this trip?" She blushed.

"What do you think?" He nuzzled her gently and enveloped the two of them in their extra large sleeping bag.


	5. Insecurities

Maria having been sent to spend the day at Amy and Sonic's left Shadow and Sara time to go to the Mobian Research Center. Sara felt a bit awkward about going, but Shadow had become a bit bothered by their lack of success on having a second child. At this point, it certainly wasn't a lack of enthusiasm on his part. While Sara had attempted to downplay things, there had been a kind of tension working into their relationship centering around nocturnal activities.

The pair was soon let into the cozy office of Dr. Ericsson. The doctor was a bit younger than Dr. Garrett, whom they were used to, but the young Asian man had a friendly demeanor to him. "Ahh welcome, Shadow...Sara, is it?" The couple nodded. "I understand you've been having trouble conceiving?"

Sara nodded a bit shyly. "Yeah."

"...And how long has this been going on?" the human questioned mildly.

"About four years," Shadow put in, catching a guilty look from his mate.

"...I know it's me." She frowned a bit, folding her hands in her lap and focusing on them. Shadow lightly placed his hand on her knee supportively.

"Well, that is quite a long time. You don't have to say it's your fault though, ma'am," Dr. Ericsson comforted.

"Well it's not Shadow... He's perfect." Sara kept her eyes lowered as she spoke.

"Sara...! I've told you, you're fine," he snapped firmly, seeming even a bit angry at her implications. He never tried to rub in the "ultimate life form" thing with her, and this was a fine time for her to be insecure about that.

"Hmm..." The doctor wrote something on a sheet of paper and leaned over his desk. "It's quite all right. Female hedgehogs usually experience a sharp drop in fertility after their first child."

"...Really?" Sara glanced up.

"Yes. We've seen the same in a number of Mobian rodent species. It's perfectly natural," he assured her.

"So what do we do about it?" Shadow asked for her.

"Well... tere are certain things that can be done to help naturally encourage fertility. I'm going to ask a few personal questions, so please answer to the best of your ability. Is your home life stressed at all?" he inquired.

Shadow's crimson eyes wandered to Sara's. She shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat. "No...not really...at least...not until recently...I think he's more concerned about having another child." She blushed.

"Mm hmm... Understandable. How often do you two engage in sexual activities?" he continued without batting an eyelash.

"Almost every night," Shadow replied.

"...Really? And how many times a night do you...?"

"Hmm... How many?" Shadow tilted his head to his blushing mate. "Ten?"

"Ahh...!" Sara's jaw dropped at his forward answer. "I don't believe you!"

"What?" He shrugged.

Sara turned red. "Come on, it's private...!"

"Pardon me, was this his idea?" the doctor inquired kindly, to which Sara nodded. "Well, it looks like your mate is being very supportive. I can't force you into any kind of treatment, but I am here to help suggest a few things if you're willing."

"I know...it's just...I guess...I didn't realize I was a bit...sensitive about it. See...Amy has another kid already, and he's only a year younger than her first," Sara admitted after a moment. Shadow seemed to have a bit of relief in his eyes at her confession.

"The matter of fertility is not something limited to you or Mobians in general. The study and research in trying to improve these conditions is pretty universal for humans and Mobians. As I've already said, you have a supportive partner there, so I'm fairly certain I can be of some assistance. Are you willing?" he asked gently while writing down a few more notes.

Sara glanced over at Shadow again, noting the warmth in his eyes. _He wants this as bad as I do..._ A smile crossed her lips as she then looked back at the human. "...All right...make your suggestions."

"...Have you tried different positions?"

* * *

The TV was on, and Blitz and Rift were mostly paying attention to the episode of Rock Man EXE that was playing. Before them, a number of books were scattered on the floor along with various crayons and markers. Maria wasn't paying any attention to the TV, however, instead paying attention to the paper in front of her.

"Can I have the green?" She made a grab for a crayon that was just out of her reach, but Rift held onto it as he had a glazed look at the TV. "Crayon...please!"

Blitz looked up at the ceiling, then lay back suddenly, flopping onto a bunch of papers and yawning. "Aww, give her the crayon so she stops whining." He shrugged.

"Go Rokkuman!" Rift cheered at the TV, raising the crayon out of Maria's grip once more.

"Meanie!" Maria huffed. She set down the crayon and walked over to Rift, this time taking the green piece of wax from him. Rift then began crying.

"What's going on here?" Amy asked after a minute. By this time Rift and Maria were both crying and she and Blitz were in the middle of a sprawling fight on the floor. Though it was easy to pry the two apart, discerning the cause of the fight was a little harder to do. "Blitz! Maria! Rift! Now what just happened?!" she insisted as she looked for any injuries on the girl. Since Maria was the guest, she really didn't want any reason for Shadow to jump at them upon returning her, but she seemed physically unharmed.

"He tore my picture!!" Maria practically shrieked, sniffling at Blitz.

He was livid. "She hit Rift!" he barked.

"He wouldn't give me green!" Maria's crying gave way to indignation.

Amy sighed. "You guys... You all have to share, okay?" Amy stroked Maria's head gently, then Blitz, and finally scooped Rift into her arms while seating herself on the floor. "Now show me what got ripped."

Maria sniffled and picked up the torn piece of paper she'd been working on. "It was for Mama!"

The pink hedgehog looked over the ruined piece of art. It was a picture of Shadow, Sara, and Maria, with the little girl offering her mom a red mass of flowers. Obviously she needed green for the stems. The tear in the page ran down Shadow's misshapen crayon face and through the red crest on his forehead quills. "Ahh...I see why you're upset. This is a really good picture! I think I can help fix it."

A bit of tape seemed to placate the child after a while. "You fixed it! Aww! Thank you, Miss Amy!" She smiled brightly.

"There you go, now be more careful, okay?" She smiled amiably.

"Drawing's stupid." Blitz made a face.

"It is not!" Maria shot back in a hurt tone.

"Oooh! Don't you two start!" Amy warned. "Drawing is not stupid... Now come on, you guys were playing nice earlier."

The immediate crisis over, the kids got back to a more peaceful routine. Maria continued drawing while the boys finished watching Rock Man. Sonic had just gotten home about the time the cartoon ended and his sudden suggestion of Smash Brothers Brawl was met with cheering children.

* * *

"Did you have a good time at Sonic's?" Sara asked Maria warmly when the sleepy child was returned home that evening.

"Uh huh! We played lots of games and I drawed you pictures." She yawned and held up the crumpled mass of paper in one hand. Her other hand clung to the tail of her poor little pony.

"Aww, thank you! She didn't give you any trouble, did she?" Sara asked her blue cousin.

"Nahh... Well, yeah when she was using Princess Zelda on Smash Brothers, but otherwise she was cool." He grinned.

Sara made a face and laughed, "Right. Good night, Cuz!"

"Bye, Blitz!" Maria waved to the purple hedgehog in Sonic's arms, and he waved back before the door closed.

Sara took the tired girl to her bedroom after setting the papers on the coffee table. She tucked her little girl in bed, Maria's eyes closing practically the instant her head hit the pillow. The sky blue hedgehog smiled at that and pried the pony from her hands, replacing it with a matted up Care Bear plush, which now sported a button for one of its eyes. She returned to the living room then and sat on the couch next to Shadow to decipher the drawings. "Mmm...she gets worn out visiting over there."

"Maybe she'll sleep all night then." Shadow leaned against Sara, putting an arm around her gently. He only half paid attention to the drawings. Laughter left his lover's lips moments later, piquing his curiosity. "Huh?"

"Looks like she wants a little brother or sister too." Sara smirked.

"What?" Shadow glanced at the page in her hand.

"See? That's us...and that's her...so who's that hedgehog?" She pointed to a second girl hedgehog that looked like Maria's drawing of herself but smaller.

"Hnf…. She just drew herself twice, that's all." He rested his head on her shoulder.

Sara flipped the page and chuckled. "Uh huh... then why did she draw me with a round belly here?"

"...Because she can't draw for crap." He rolled his eyes.

"Nah, I look like a stick in all the other pictures." Sara chuckled. "And so do you."

Shadow wrinkled his nose, even though he was touched to be included in her drawings. "How do you even know what that is?" He saw her open her mouth to answer then cut in for her, "Because you're a mom?"

She smirked. "Yeah. My dad has a stack of scribbles like this too. I really couldn't tell you what I was thinking, but I got better. Amy's creativity paid off, you notice the Rose clothing line at Wal-Mart lately?"

The ebony hedgehog nodded lightly. "She's been designing it, right?"

"Mmm hmm... It was nice of them to start their own Mobian clothing line... The mall stuff is expensive."

"Tell me about it." He rolled his eyes again and glanced back at the messy crayon drawings. "...Is that her pony?"

"Ahh yep! Wystaria I think... And you said you couldn't decipher kid's drawings..." She chuckled lightly. Shadow's arms enveloped Sara gently and his tongue lightly grazed the back of her ear. "...Now?"

"Maria's in bed. I don't see why not. I bet another kid would provide a few more drawings to figure out." He said in his even tone, though he felt her shift uncomfortably in his arms. "...Sara?" His expression sank a bit at her pause.

"..If we were going to have another, it probably would've happened by now...don't you think?" she replied softly, a slightly saddened look in her eyes.

"You heard the doctor... Your fertility rate just probably fell a bit sharper than Amy's, that's all." he comforted, nuzzling against her neck. "We got some tips and those pills to try…." He felt Sara tense up at that.

"I really would like it to be natural, you know...if it happens...I just...don't think it's going to." She'd been a bit disappointed and uncomfortable with the idea of fertility drugs, though she'd been assured there wouldn't be any side effects.

"Then we keep trying." Shadow kept his tone soft and continued to lean on her, though he didn't hold her any tighter. "What's different between now and this morning?"

"...It's just...I mean, it has been four years. That is a long time...and it's not like we haven't _been_ trying." She sighed a bit.

"So what's a little more? Come on...I didn't set up that appointment so we could quit." He held her more firmly now and let his tongue speak for him as it worked over the back of her ear firmly.

She began to loosen up at his advances. "I guess...we could...keep trying." She practically hummed after a minute of his treatment of her, "..Ahh...but could we move it to the bedroom at least?"

Shadow paused and thought about it for a minute. "... Maybe."


	6. What to do on a Rainy Day

Sara was taking it easy while Shadow was at work. She combed through Maria's quills while the child sat on her lap watching a movie about a group of bunnies. They were searching for a new home after the psychotic one in the bunch predicted death and destruction to them. Sara was finding the movie a bit disturbing and brushed her girl's quills a bit roughly, evoking a verbal complaint from her.

"Oops... Sorry, sweety." Sara kissed the top of her girl's head and began brushing her hair more gently.

"The seagull's funny." Maria giggled.

"Yeah, he's a little odd." She tried not to read too much into the movie. "Want to watch a movie about a unicorn after this, honey?"

"Oh sure! And then we can play with my ponies!" Maria beamed. She'd gotten another My Little Pony a few days ago, and its hair was already getting frayed.

As the first movie was drawing to a close, it began raining outside. The drops clinked against the window and the metal rods of the fire escape. Maria looked over at the window with its ash gray skies. The drops began blurring the image outside. She was never afraid of the rain, which was a good thing, and seemed almost mesmerized by the growing downpour. Her little ears perked up, taking in the rhythmic sounds of the rain drops, a slow smile forming on her face.

"Something interesting?" Sara asked gently when her daughter had been spellbound by the rain for several minutes.

"It's raining," she said simply.

"Yes...yes it is. The movie's over; did you want to watch The Last Unicorn now?" she prompted.

"Huh? Oh yeah…. Did the bunny die at the end there?" she asked in reference to the last movie.

"Hmm... Yes, but his spirit lived on." She set her daughter aside and got up to change DVDs.

"Do we live on when we die too?"

There was an awkward silence before Sara replied. She made a mental note not to take Mina's suggestions for kids' movies next time. That yellow mongoose always did have strange tastes…. "Yes, we do. Why are you asking?" She got out the unicorn DVD and slipped it into the player.

"Daddy was telling me about another Maria last night. Did you know that Maria, Mommy?" she asked from the couch, her hands clasped on her feet so she looked like a strange spidery ball.

"No. That was a long time before Daddy and I met." As Sara hit the play button, the TV and lights flickered and died. "Heh...looks like no more movies." She opened a drawer in the entertainment cabinet and fished around for a flashlight. There was still enough light coming through the window that it wasn't totally dark. She aimed the LED-based light at the ceiling and set the flashlight on the coffee table. "So, what do we do now?" She smiled and sat back down next to her little spider, tickling her sides.

Maria giggled as expected and rolled over onto her back, kicking at her mother's hands. "Was Maria pretty?"

"Mm hmm. I know she was." She leaned in and nuzzled Maria's belly, earning yet more laughter from the ticklish one.

"Are there pictures?" She asked between fits of laughter.

Sara placed a considerate look at her child. In the dim lighting of the power outage, her fur was almost black, and her reddish bangs seemed almost blood red. _She really is like her father, isn't she?_ "My you're being persistent. Yeah, there's a few pictures. I'll have to ask your daddy about that, though... Why are you so curious?" She lightly touched a finger to Maria's nose and pressed it gently.

"Because Daddy said I was named after her. Was she a nice person?"

"Well...I think she was Daddy's guardian angel while she was alive," Sara replied. "He speaks very fondly of her...she was his very best friend. Remember he talked about being in space and seeing the blue planet below? She was up there too; he said she wanted everyone to be happy."

"Oh wow! Then she was really special, right, Mommy?" Maria's crimson eyes shone brightly up at Sara.

"Yes. Very special. You are too." She smiled and pulled the girl in for a tight hug. "You're my little angel, right?"

"Hee hee! Okay!" Maria nodded and nuzzled against her mother's chest.

"Now...what do you wanna do while we wait for the lights to come on?" She smiled softly and smoothed out her daughter's quills once more.

"...Go Fish!" The little girl slid off her mother's lap and reached under the couch. She drew back a beat up cardboard box that had a host of card games and board games that never saw the light of day. Just perfect for a rainy afternoon.

* * *

The power was still out when Shadow arrived home several hours later. Rain continued to beat down on the landscape, and only the faintest hint of light filtered through the rain-splattered window. His eyes quickly adjusted to the fleeting light given off by a few candles flickering against the darkness. He traced the form of his lovely mate moving on the couch and headed over to her after letting himself in.

"We're going to have to throw out all that food, aren't we?" he said as he leaned over to give her a hug.

"Not all of it. Ahh...you're soaking wet!" she complained as a few chilly rain drops dripped onto her fur.

"Yeah, no umbrella." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before releasing her.

"Were you out in all that? You'll get a cold," she fussed, even though the idea of him getting sick was silly. Aside a couple cases of mild food poisoning, she'd never seen him in anything but perfect health.

"Good. About time you babied me some, huh?" He smiled a bit before she pushed him off the carpet and into the bathroom.

"Oh, just dry off first." She wrinkled her nose.

"With what? You can't see in here." He smiled, knowing he had her off balance from her usual composure.

"Pretend you're a cat." She rolled her eyes as she went to retrieve the flashlight she'd put on the table earlier.

"Hmm...no good, I don't want a tongue bath." He shrugged.

"Har har." She pushed the button and the light went on before she thrust it into his hands. "Find a towel. Dry yourself off, then have fun trying to find me in the dark, okay?" She gave him a quick kiss and shut the bathroom door behind him.

"...Is that a challenge?" he called after her, but she refused a response. He liked having fun with her every now and then. "If that was a challenge, you're bad at hiding," he said idly after returning in a drier condition, though his quills were fairly messy from the toweling off. He then sat next to her on the couch.

Sara ran her fingers through his quills, smoothing them down gently. "Who said I was supposed to hide?" She smirked a bit.

He enjoyed her grooming him and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "So what'd you do in the dark?" He smiled a bit inwardly thinking about things they could do in the dark, but didn't suggest that...yet.

"Played card games with Maria mostly. She was asking me about her namesake today," she replied softly. She continued to run her fingers through his quills, tediously making sure that every one was in place just so.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She'd like to see a picture of her, you still have one or two somewhere, don't you?" She examined him in the low lighting, fairly sure she'd gotten his quills back into shape. She then glanced at his chest fur…all matted up...tsk tsk. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" She made a slightly sour face as she set her fingers to work on his fluffy chest.

He let out a brief laugh, "Ahh…. Yeah, I have a picture." He lay back on the couch and pulled Sara with him.

"Okay, well that was intentional." She rolled her eyes and lay there against him, trying to look him in the eyes in the low lighting. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat in the darkness. "Are you going to show her?"

"...I don't see why not. Wonder why she's interested now." His smile faded a little bit but he rubbed Sara's shoulder's and neck, pleased at how at ease she was with him.

"We watched a disturbing movie about bunnies and she asked me about death." Sara shrugged in reply. "Mmm...a little lower and to the left... Mmm hmm...just about...ahh there!" She smiled as he kneaded a particularly tense muscle.

"I guess she was bound to ask eventually." He smiled softly. "I haven't had you this relaxed in a while."

"Blame the weather... Rain's soothing, you know?"

"We didn't have rain in space. Tell me about it." He held her close after tiring of massaging her. Though he was paying attention to what she was saying, his mind was also contemplating how to liberate her from her jeans without significantly altering the mood.

"Mmm... My mom used to sit me by the window whenever it rained. She didn't want me to be afraid of rain or lightning. She said she liked the sound it made on a tin roof," Sara explained. "She'd tell me how the rain nurtures the flowers and trees...fills the rivers...told me all about the life that water brings, so rain's always been a comfort to me. Even though the gray skies make me drowsy or I get bored...I like hearing the rain fall."

"Sounds pretty good to me." He felt her legs twine around his a bit more and the grin tugged at his mouth again. "...Is Maria in bed?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Shadow partly sat up and leaned toward the coffee table. In his next breath, he blew out the candle sitting on it, and the room was plunged into near total darkness.

"...Shadow!" Sara's surprised exclamation was cut short by a pair of lips touching hers. The sound of rain filled her ears, still beating against the window in the silence. She could hear the rain, and her lover's soft breaths.


	7. Birthday Surprise!

Maria sat on the living room floor with a bunch of colored paper scattered around her. Also amongst the clutter were jars of different colored glitters and sequins, crayons, markers, a box of uncooked macaroni noodles, and Elmer's School Glue. She busied herself with a particular piece of cardboard, which was folded in half.

Nearby, Shadow was busy hanging streamers up around the apartment. The paper ribbon was rainbow colored, changing from one color to another. The dark hedgehog grinned a bit while he set up the streamers, thinking how he'd considered Sara's bright rainbow preference nauseating a few years ago. "Does this look okay, Maria?" he asked as he held a paper banner up in the center of the ribbons.

The little girl turned around sharply and looked at it with a smile on her face. "Uh huh!"

"She better appreciate this..." Shadow muttered softly as he stapled the sign in place. Soon after there was a knock at the door. "It's open!" he called while in the kitchen this time. He was standing up on a chair trying to pull some stuff down from one of the top shelves.

"I can't, my hands are full!" a female voice replied.

Shadow grumbled a bit and stepped down from the chair to get the door. Shadow's semi-cold gaze relaxed when he saw the fudge-covered chocolate cake she was carrying. "Thanks for bringing that, Amy." He stepped aside so she could enter the apartment.

"Not a problem! I know what a sweet tooth she has." The pink hedgehog grinned. Amy was clad in a sleeveless lavender dress made of a silky material. It had white flowers sewn into it and had a faintly Chinese design to it. The sandals she wore were a bit ornate and matched her dress, being a shiny lavender with a small rose on the center of each.

"So why isn't Sonic holding the door for you?" he asked and headed back to the kitchen. He finally managed to snag the bag of odds and ends he'd been trying to reach. It was filled with birthday candles, food coloring, birthday picks, rings, Mother's Day signs, and various little used baking utensils. It also had last year's Christmas sprinkles spilled on the inside. _Why she bothers to save this stuff when we never reuse it is beyond me…._

"He's busy getting Rift and Blitz ready," Amy said, setting the cake down on the kitchen counter. She glanced back at Maria, who'd looked up at the mention of her friends' names. "They'll be here soon, sweetness!"

"He was supposed to help me with the decorating." Shadow heaved a sigh and sorted through the bag of decorating items.

"Well, looks like you didn't need it. You did a good job! It's nice and bright." She smiled warmly.

"... Thanks." He opened his mouth to say something more, but changed his mind. He drew out a couple of number candles that had been used on Maria's first and second birthdays and inspected them. There was only a little melting at the top, and the candles themselves didn't have any cracks in them. He then looked at the chocolate fudge cake on the counter. It had teal and pink roses on it and sprinkles, and of course the writing, wishing Sara a happy birthday. He then sank the 2 and the 1 into it where he felt there was enough space for them.

Another knock came at the door and this time Amy answered "Come on in!"

The door opened and two purple hedgehogs walked in, followed by their blue father, who was carrying an arm full of packages. "Didn't start the party without me, did ya?" the Blue Blur smirked.

"Of course not, Sara's not here yet." Amy wrinkled her nose.

Blitz and Rift made their way over to Maria, and the older of the two spoke first. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Making a card for Mommy," she replied, sticking macaroni on the front of it.

"It's a mess," he said after looking at the sticky mess of macaroni letters and glitter. "You got too much glue on it, it'll never dry."

Maria made a face. "Mommy will like it...and it will too dry!" she said indignantly.

"Yeah, in a bajillion years." He rolled his eyes and received a handful of macaroni flung at him. "Hey! It's true!"

Maria stuck her tongue out at him. "Meanie!"

"It looks nice to me." Rift said, looking at the messy birthday card.

"When can we have cake?" Blitz asked, turning to his parents.

"When the party starts," Amy chuckled. "Sara should be home soon. Why don't you kids go play Brawl while you wait?" The group nodded and gladly started beating each other up in the fighter game.

* * *

Mina had come from Mobius for the birthday party, as had Tiara. To keep Sara busy while things were set up, she was out with her dad, who treated her to a Japanese restaurant for her birthday. She enjoyed going out with her dad, and even though he lived in Station Square now as well, he was usually busy with his own restaurant and had little time to spend with her. The two of them returned to the apartment around 5 PM and were greeted with a loud round of "Happy birthday!" Though Shadow was the quietest of those cheering, he couldn't help but smile.

"Aww! Thank you guys so much!" She smiled and looked over at her mate with twinkling eyes. "Your doing?"

"Eh...I asked Amy about it when you said you didn't want a party this year. I keep telling you you're a bad liar." He shrugged.

Sara put her arms around his neck in a tight embrace, "Thank you, honey! I know you don't like parties," she whispered the last part.

"Amy made a chocolate fudge cake," he replied, giving her a loose hug in return. Her eyes brightened considerably at that.

"Oh man! Thank you!" she beamed.

"Soitenly!" Sonic chuckled.

The party went over well, even though Shadow tried to be a wall flower as much as possible. Sara absolutely gushed about the card Maria made her, even though the glue hadn't quite set, it was by far the largest card on the stack. That gave her little girl's ego plenty of bragging rights when she got back to playing with Blitz. Mina had given her a prerelease of her latest CD and a new rainbow t-shirt. Tiara had opted for a less personal gift card to GAP Mammals. A new bento lunch box was well received from her father, and a beautiful silk outfit from Amy and Sonic. Shadow had decided to cater to her gaming instincts by buying her a new Dance Dance Revolution game.

From that point on, the living room thundered with footsteps as the coffee table was moved aside in favor of two dance pads. Sara and Amy were the first two to test their skills, scoring high on the first song they chose. Sonic and Amy went next, followed by Mina and Maria, then Blitz and Rift. Shadow made up some excuse about having two left feet.

After everyone was worn out, cake and ice cream was served and the party lowered to a dull roar. Sara's favorite anime tunes were playing in the background and there was a warm atmosphere in the apartment. "Ahh...I really appreciate this!" she beamed, digging into the cake excitedly. "Mmm...this is wonderful!"

Amy laughed, "I gotta admit, Shadow knows your tastes."

He attempted to look casual about it as he poked at his slice of cake. "I never will understand what it is about chocolate…." He wrinkled his nose as if it offended him. Truthfully, he enjoyed chocolate too, but the way Sara went nuts over it never ceased to amaze him.

"Did you know about this too?" the sky blue hedgehog asked her graying father with a smile.

"Oh yes…. You enjoyed eating at the Sakura, right?" he said in reference to the Japanese steakhouse they'd visited.

"Oh yes, the food there is excellent! Ahh! We have to go there sometime, you girls!" she said to her two Mobian friends. "You're only here for the party, right?"

"Yeah, but I have a concert here in a month, I could get you guys tickets if you want?" Mina said, and then enjoyed a few bites of her cake.

"Absolutely! Maria's never been to a concert." She smiled over at her little girl.

"You should visit Mobius more often. And you should bring Maria. She should be with more of her own kind, don't you think?" Tiara, the other hedgehog guest, put in. Shadow made a face at that.

"Actually, there are quite a few Mobians here in Station Square now," Charles replied; he then went on to talk about the specific statistical climb in travel through the world gates and the dispersion of differing species. "Of the Mobians in Station Square, about six percent are hedgehogs. About eighty percent of them live between the Regal and Emerald Coast areas."

"Okay okay! I give!" Tiara replied to laughter.

Tiara and Mina were the first guests to leave when the party wound down. After giving the birthday girl a kiss on the cheek, Chuck headed for home, leaving the two hedgehog families in the apartment watching the kids. Blitz and Maria had finally settled down and were playing Team battles in Smash Brothers while Rift had fallen asleep on Amy's lap.

"Mmm...I'd hate to disturb him," Amy said gently, stroking her little boy's quills.

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Sara smiled at the pair.

"That was really sweet of you, Shadow," Sonic put in after a minute.

"Eh?" The black and red hedgehog gave him a blank expression.

"Throwin' a party and inviting her friends from Mobius." He smirked. "Didn't think you had party organizing skills like that."

"Shows what you know." He rolled his eyes.

Sara shifted so she leaned on Shadow as they sat there on the couch, and pulled one of his arms around her. "It was sweet. And that was Sonic giving you a compliment, so you'd better take it while it lasts." She chuckled softly.

"And ruin my reputation as a badass?" he said coolly, trying hard not to smother her with affection as though the couple watching them weren't there.

"Ha, that got ruined long ago, Shadow." Amy smiled softly. "You and Sara make too cute of a couple."

"And you ruined Sonic's reputation as a loner," Sara said with a chuckle.

"Aww... Let's face it, Shadow, women ruined us!" Sonic laughed.

"Maybe…." Shadow shrugged.

"Mmmnnn…. Uhg, I think I ate too much cake," Sara commented, "I feel a lil' queasy."

Shadow glanced at her with mild concern; she hadn't really eaten that much. He assumed it was because she'd just gotten through eating with her dad, though. "You sure? You usually pack away twice that amount of cake."

"Yeah...umm...excuse me," the birthday girl said and headed off to the bathroom.

Shadow's sharp ears detected a familiar sound he hadn't heard in quite some time, followed by a toilet flush. "...Sounds like the party food didn't agree with her."

"Ouch…. Sorry, man," Sonic offered.

Amy gently set Rift aside next to her and then headed to the bathroom when Sara didn't come out after the flush. "Sara? Are you okay?"

"...Nnn... Oh that came on suddenly. I think I'll be okay!" she replied from within.

"Sara...? Hold on a second!" Shadow got up and headed to the bathroom. He pushed his way past Amy and made his way inside after Sara cracked the door to come out.

"...No!" Sara's voice carried through the door.

"..Yes! Now do it," Shadow's voice came in reply.

"...You're crazy! It's just indigestion!" Sara's voice carried out the door again.

Shadow exited the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He then leaned against the door. "I'm not letting you out 'til you do!"

"...Uhg! I hate you!" Sara slammed her fist against the door from the other side, and Shadow winced slightly.

"...What the hell are you doing?" Amy blinked at Shadow.

"Just wait," he replied calmly.

For several minutes, there was silence. Amy rejoined Sonic and her son on the couch and the two of them exchanged looks between them before watching the kids play. Rift looked up at Amy mildly before taking over her lap again and settling down for a nap. The other kids seemed a bit distracted; Shadow and Sara rarely yelled like that. He just waited outside the door patiently, and nobody could tell quite what he was thinking.

Finally, the bathroom door creaked open, and Shadow turned to the shaky female hedgehog leaving its confines. "...Well?"

She looked at Shadow with wide brown eyes in shock. "I...I'm pregnant!"

"Ehhh?! Did I hear that correctly?" Amy's head darted to the open bathroom door and the sky blue hedgehog who'd just exited.

"I...I am!" She held a small plastic item in her hand and then held it out. "I got two lines so...it's it's positive! See?!"

"Oh great, now Shadow's got more braggin' rights... Way to give him a big head, Cuz!" Sonic chuckled.

Shadow smiled proudly and pulled her into his arms. "...Happy birthday, honey."

Sara smiled a bit and then her expression sank, "Oh crap! I can't have any more of that cake!"


	8. Moving In

Cardboard boxes were stacked in each room of the house, and the furniture that once occupied the small apartment didn't quite seem to fill the new home. Maria was taking a look around her new room and missing the rainbow room she'd grown up in for her almost five years of life. She took a look out the window at the snow that had covered the ground; it had made their move more difficult and the landscape look a bit...lonely. She wan't used to the colder climate of the northmost end of Station Square, seated part way up the mountain range. She stopped staring at the snowy landscape when her mother's voice called her to the kitchen.

"Why'd we have to move? I liked the apartment," Maria complained.

"Because the apartment's too small," Shadow replied calmly. He set a couple of white paper boxes with handles down on a couple of cardboard boxes they were using as a table while waiting for the rest of the furniture to arrive.

"I didn't think so…." Maria sniffed the air, ginger and soy sauce filling her nose. "Chinese?"

"Mm hmm. We have some shrimp fried rice and eggrolls and veggie lo mein." Sara smiled and set out some thick paper plates and plastic ware. She then gingerly knelt down on the floor, mindful of the slight bulge to her belly.

"Your mom's pregnant, so you're getting a brother or sister soon," Shadow said, placing his little girl with a slightly strict look.

"Why?" She sat down next to one of the boxes while Shadow dished out some fried rice to her.

"Why? Well...we've been wanting another kid for a while." He smiled at Sara, who returned the smile warmly.

"You don't like me any more?" she asked, scooping a fork full of rice into her mouth.

"Of course we like you," Sara put in, though she preferred to eat her food with chopsticks. "We love you very much."

"Then why'd we move? I liked my room!" Maria sulked.

Shadow grunted slightly. "It's not about you, it's about us having another baby. The baby's gonna need a room too."

"Mommy, did you want to move?" She turned to Sara after receiving no sympathy from her dad.

"Mmm... actually, I've been kind of hoping we'd move into a real house for a long time," She replied with a slightly apologetic look. "Since I am having a baby, it's just good timing. Don't worry about making new friends and we're actually closer to your cousins Blitz and Rift now, isn't that cool?"

"Well... okay... but how'd it happen? How'd mommy get pregnant?" she asked.

"Ahh..." Shadow looked at his mate, who had paused in mid-bite at that question. Redness flooded his cheeks as he thought about how to answer that. "Umm well... your mom and I…."

Sara laughed. "You'll think it's really gross if we tell you." She smiled at their little girl. "But when you're older, you'll want it too."

"Oh? How are babies made?" she asked again.

"Well..." Shadow poked at one of the shrimp on his plate. "To be technical about it... our bodies are all made up of little tiny things called cells... and each one has all the data that makes up our bodies." He looked at her to make sure she was keeping up. "But there's cells that men have called sperm which only have half of the genetic code, and women have cells called ova… egg cells... and they have the other half of the code... so when the two come together... they make a baby."

She gave him a comprehending look and nodded. "Ohhh... So how do they come together?"

"And that's the part that sounds gross." Sara laughed. "Don't worry about it until you're older. It's just that men and women are built differently... it's those differences that make having children possible."

"Hmph..." Maria made a face. "Why won't you tell me?"

She smiled warmly. "I told you. It's gross. Your dad and I had to try a lot to get to this point." She rested a hand on her belly.

"If it's so gross, why did you try so much?" she persisted.

"It'll seem gross to you, but we like it," Shadow replied in his typical even tone. He did have a smile on his face, though. "We didn't plan on when we'd have kids when you were born, we were just doing something we liked a lot, and there you were."

"Oh..." Maria seemed to have run out of questions, and the family got back to their meal in relative silence.

* * *

Sara curled up with her head lying on Shadow's chest, and he wrapped his arms around her as often happened when they went to bed. It was their third night in the new home, and there were still a lot of boxes littering the house. They were having a peaceful discussion about what to unpack next, and Shadow was putting limits on what she was allowed to carry. When she'd been pregnant with Maria, he'd given her such restrictions and was even worried when she wanted to sleep on her stomach... and the cycle had begun again.

"Ahh.. I'm only a couple months in, you know…." she said softly, enjoying the way Shadow was now stroking his fingers through her quills.

"Yeah yeah, you're a big girl, you can handle things... you're not that fragile. You said the same things last time." He rolled his eyes.

Sara laughed lightly, "Yes... and I haven't changed much since then."

"Right... like you didn't go nuts quitting coffee and chocolate." He sighed, thinking about how that went. The first two weeks after they found out about her condition, she went positively bonkers over having to remove her precious caffeine and chocolate from her diet. He was kind of glad the coffee pot was packed away in some unknown box for the moment. "...Addict."

"Sorry about that... I got over it, though." She shrugged and nestled against him a bit more snugly.

He gave her a dubious look, then kissed the top of her head. "Hmmm... I think I'll start on the den tomorrow... we can set the games up in there, eh?"

"Ahh yeah." Sara brightened at that.

The couple had just quieted down and breathing began to slow to a resting state when the door to their bedroom cracked open. As usual, Shadow was more alert than his love, and peered through the darkness at the small form entering the room. "...Maria? What are you doing up?"

"Can't sleep," she replied and climbed over the footboard into bed.

Sara rolled aside so the girl could squeeze in between them, and she wrapped her arms around her once she'd crawled her way to them. "Aww... what's wrong, sweety?"

"My room's so big and empty..." she pouted, "and it's cold..."

"Hmm... maybe we should help Maria get set up before the den, hon." She comforted the girl, letting her slip under the sheets between them.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" she asked.

Shadow sighed a bit and looked over at Sara. He kind of wanted to spend time with her; she was at that point in her pregnancy where she was still pretty affectionate and frisky, something he would be missing as her belly swelled. Yet, he couldn't ignore the child they already had, so he had only one way he could possibly reply, "Yeah. But just for tonight."

"Thank you, Papa!" She beamed and snuggled up to his chest.

"Heh... Don't get used to it." He lightly stroked her quills and couldn't help smiling at her.

"Remember she used to sleep like that all the time when she started crawling?" Sara said softly, recalling lazy days when Maria interrupted many of Shadow's naps.

"Yeah. You both target my chest fur," he replied softly.

"Well, it's your cuddly feature." She smirked and drew in close enough to slip her arms around both Shadow and Maria.

"Yeah... so you say. Good night, hon... Good night, Maria." He gave his mate a soft kiss on the lips and soon fell asleep with the two warm bodies nestled against him.

* * *

Over the next few days, most of the boxes were emptied out. Sara decided to keep the Christmas mugs down, and the decorations, which were about the only boxes left piled in a corner of the living room. The den had been completed, sporting a tangled knot of wires hooked up to various game systems and a flat screen TV. The computer had also been moved into that room on a nice desk, and books and knickknacks filled up the rest of the shelves.

Sara sighed, knowing her condition wouldn't allow her her precious cup of coffee in the morning when the pot was finally dug out of its box. She set about organizing the kitchen drawers, however, while Shadow argued with her about the dozens of gadgets and decorating items she never used. He also attempted to stop her from standing on a chair to reach the high shelves, causing her to laugh. "I am not made of glass!"

The biggest project and most rewarding was taking care of Maria's room. The white walls didn't have rainbows on them, but a toy net was installed in one corner of the room just over the toy chest. Stuffed animals and baby dolls quickly filled up the net, while the chest boasted building blocks, ponies, and other hard plastic playthings. Her rainbow furniture soon filled out the rest of the room, and the place looked a lot more welcoming.

"Maybe she'll sleep in her own bed tonight?" Shadow commented as he watched Maria drag out her ponies to play with them.

Sara chuckled, "What, you don't want her coming between us?"

Shadow put an arm around her and drew her to his side. "You know what I mean."

"Ohh...in one of _those_ moods? I think I can still accommodate you." She chuckled and hugged him tightly.

"Only if we don't have an extra guest in bed," he said quietly.

"We already do, you know." She smirked. Her expression became quite peaceful as his hand settled on the bulge to her belly.

"Mommy! Daddy! Can we play?" Maria asked, suddenly rushing up to the couple with a pony in each hand. She forced a unicorn into Sara's hands, and a baby pony into her dad's.

"Of course," Sara replied.

Shadow sighed. "You think it's a boy this time?"

"Hmm...maybe." Sara more eagerly took up her place on the child's floor and spoke for her pony as they played with various accessories and styled the tangled hair.


	9. Holiday Cheer

It was a few days before Christmas, and Sara was sitting on the porch, bundled up in boots and a warm quilted coat. She was watching Maria, Blitz, and Rift play in the snow. Maria had discovered how to make snow angels and delighted in flopping back in the snow and waving her arms and legs. Sara laughed watching it, though she knew what the boys were up to as they created a tightly packed wall of snow.

A snowball soon smashed against Maria, and the girl was quickly on her feet complaining as several more hit her. "Hey! No fair!"

"Gotcha good!" Blitz grinned and ducked behind the snow wall as Maria hurled a snowball back at him. "Missed me!"

"Oh you!" Maria gathered up more snow and was soon engulfed in a lopsided war.

Rift had a harder time aiming than his older brother and was slower on the draw, allowing Maria to peg him a few times. "Awww!"

"Leave him alone! I'm your opponent!" Blitz yelled, a glint in his emerald eyes. He worked as fast as he could to nail Maria, who had no snow fort to hide behind.

"Well I'm not hiding!" Maria started dodging back and forth, creating a path of matted down snow. She soon found her footing and demonstrated the speed she'd inherited from her father.

"Good going! Show those boys!" Sara encouraged, smiling as her daughter started fighting back and nailing Blitz with snowballs.

The girl wove closer and closer to the snow fort, and soon her foot came flying through it, spraying snow all over the two boys. A blur of blue and purple mixed in the white snow as Blitz and Maria tangled into a brawl.

"Gotcha!" she called, grabbing fists full of snow and smearing it in the boy's face.

"Hey hey! Tone it down!" Sara finally stood up from the porch and hurried over to the ball of hedgehogs.

"She started it!" Blitz called.

"I did not! He did! You saw, didn't you, Mommy?!" She grabbed another bunch of snow and shoved it down Blitz's coat.

"Rrr! I did not!" He squeaked at the cold snow and grabbed Maria's feathery bangs.

"Hey! Now stop it!" Sara knelt down on the snow and removed Blitz's hand from Maria's hair. "Snowball fights are fun, but I don't want it turning into fisticuffs." She drew the two hedgehogs to her feet and pulled them in for a hug. "You were having fun a minute ago, right?"

"Yeah." Blitz nodded.

"Well...it was kinda fun," Maria admitted.

"So, now that that's over, how about showing me what kind of snowman you can build?" She smiled warmly, and knocked the excess snow from their jackets.

"Yeah! I wanna build a snowman!" Rift piped up and started compacting a snowball in his hands. He attempted to roll it into a ball, though he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"No no, you do it like this!" Blitz cut in and took over for Rift.

"Hey! Not over my angel!" Maria called and went over to the boys, and soon she was helping roll up the middle section.

Eventually a black and red streak arrived at the house, carrying a couple of paper bags. He glanced over at the kids putting the finishing touches on their snowman and then down at the sky blue hedgehog sitting on the steps. "Busy day?"

"Yep. You got the peanut butter fudge for me, hon?" Sara smiled up at Shadow.

"Yeah, had to go to six different stores to find it... And I got some peppermint canes and...you said you wanted the pina colada ones, right?" he asked in a slightly irritated tone.

"Yep. Those're the ones. Thanks!" she replied and helped hold the door open for him.

"Hey!" He turned to the kids, who all stopped and looked over at him. "I got some hot cocoa here." He indicated the bag and headed inside. He wasn't surprised at all by the snow-soaked arms that soon clung to his leg. "Ahh...come on, give me a chance to get in the door." He smiled down at Maria and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

About four in the morning, December 25th, Amy stood outside the bathroom door in Shadow and Sara's house. She and Sonic were staying on the couch, while Blitz and Rift had sleeping bags in what would be the nursery for the coming baby. She'd noticed Sara heading for the bathroom and remembered she was still subject to morning sickness.

"Are you all right?" she asked after a minute.

"Uhg... Yeah, I will be," Sara replied through the door. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" She exited the bathroom after a minute, though she still didn't look too good.

"Well yeah, but I heard you coming downstairs. How about a little tea with honey? That helped me out with morning sickness," Amy offered.

Sara thought about it a moment and nodded. "Hey, if it'll settle the tummy, it's worth a try." She smiled a bit and the two girls headed to the kitchen. Sara took a seat while Amy set about getting her the honey tea.

"It's kind of sweet, but I know you won't mind that," the pink hedgehog commented with a smile.

"Ha...I hope the kids don't think I'm trying to beat Santa to the tree." She chuckled.

"They might," she chuckled, and watched the timer count down on the microwave. "How's Shadow taking it?"

"Mmmnnn...he's pretty patient, you know...but he's taking it better than last time." She folded her arms on the table and lay her head down.

"Oh yeah?" She hit stop just before the alarm could go off and pulled the green and red Christmas mug from the appliance. She held a hand over the water, feeling the steam coming off of it before adding the tea bag and a generous portion of honey.

"Yeah...at first he was worried about me hurting the baby, then when I got further along he thought I was falling apart." Sara chuckled. "You didn't wake Sonic, did you?"

"Hmm...I might have, but he can wait for me." She sat the cup in front of Sara and sat next to her.

"Shadow's an insomniac." She took a sip of the tea. "Ahh!"

"Careful, it's hot!" Amy warned a little too late.

"Heh... Yeah. Well he is. He stays awake a lot longer than I do, so he's probably up there wondering why I haven't come back to bed... He pretends he's asleep." She chuckled softly and took a more careful sip after blowing on the beverage.

"Really? I didn't know that," Amy replied and glanced at the digital readout on the microwave. "Well, you've only been down here about seven minutes."

"He'll be down here after me in a minute." She grinned and took another sip. "Eventually he does get tired...winds up sleeping half the day away."

"Ahh, Sonic doesn't have that problem, but he's a lazy bum." Amy laughed. "He loves to relax, and if he's not relaxing, he's running all over. He's been taking Blitz out running, so I keep worrying when I don't see him after a while."

"Afraid he's going to run off on his own?" Sara queried. The smell and taste of the tea was relaxing enough, and it settled well in her stomach.

"Yeah. There's an Ex Gear park not far from here; he's been fascinated by them lately." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to find him running off there before too long, and he'll probably be taking poor Rift with him."

"He is like his dad, isn't he?" Sara sighed. She'd often told Shadow Blitz wasn't Sonic, but he was turning out just like him.

"Mmhmm... You're lucky to have Maria. You get to play with her hair and dress her up and play with her dolls...I get a couple rough n' tumble boys who like chasing their father around all day," Amy lamented.

"Mmm...Maria likes chasing after Shadow sometimes. I don't want her to be too concerned about looks." Sara shrugged and finished off her cup of tea. "Thanks for the tea, Amy."

"No problem. Hope you can get back to sleep." She smiled and got up out of her chair. She stood still, though, as she caught sight of a black figure standing at the kitchen doorway.

"So there you are," he said softly with his crimson eyes on Sara.

"Yeah. Amy just gave me something for my stomach." She held up the mug and set it in the sink before walking over to Shadow. She leaned up against him and put her arms around him.

Shadow returned the hug and nuzzled her head gently. "Come on back to bed. You need your rest." His voice was soft and manner gentle, though Amy was still creeped out by his eyes. No matter how soft he'd become in Sara's care, they still held a dangerous glint to them that threatened to come loose if the peace of his household were ever disturbed. Sara seemed to be able to overlook it, though Amy stayed rooted in place several minutes after they headed back upstairs, thinking about it.

"..Hey? You up for the day already?" Sonic's voice cut through her contemplative gaze as his blue form was now in the frame of the kitchen door.

"Ahh...no no, I'm coming." She smiled and took a good look at her mate. In the darkness, he was almost black too, but his emerald eyes held a different spark. _Shadow's Shadow...that's all there is to it._

* * *

About 8 AM the same day, Sonic and Amy's ears cringed to cheering from their boys. "Yay! Santa came!" they cried, followed by Maria, who brought up the rear, commenting on all the pretty boxes.

"Nnng... For a minute I thought we were alone," Sonic yawned, his arms wrapped around Amy and trying to go back to sleep on her.

"Hey!" She laughed and pushed him off of her. "Hold it! You're not opening anything until Shadow and Sara come down!" she scolded, as she caught Blitz attempting to break and enter a gift with his name on it.

A few minutes later, Sara was the first one downstairs, followed a few steps behind by Shadow. He kept his watchful eyes on her. "Merry Christmas!" Sara beamed. She'd changed into a green and red sweater and grabbed a Santa hat off the counter as she headed into the living room. "Everyone get plenty of sleep?"

"Can we open gifts now?" Maria asked first.

Shadow grunted lightly. "Yeah, but you'll have to stop playing for breakfast." He stood next to the couch and watched the paper fly.

Sara laughed and got down on the floor with the kids, happy to hand out the gifts. "Hey...one at a time." She smiled and handed a gift to each child.

Maria admired the pretty wrapping before breaking into a poinsettia wrapped gift. "Ooo! Thank you!" She smiled brightly at a paint by number set she received.

"Oh cool! My own Gear!" Blitz's gift was not so subtly wrapped, as he received his small Extreme Gear board. "Ooo! It's a Blue Streak model!"

"I got turtle!" Rift held up a TMNT toy, a plastic Leonardo with turtle cycle.

A couple of movies, video games, MP3 players, My Little Ponies, play sets, clothing, bath and body wash, jewelry, and stuffed animals later, the gifts were all unwrapped and a big pile of paper and bows littered the floor. Sara looked quite content with several bows stuck to her Santa hat and made her way across the floor to the TV and put in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

With a little help from Amy, pancakes were soon served to the adults and starry-eyed kids. Of course, they were special, filled with vanilla cream cheese and topped with banana slices, honey, and nuts. Hot cocoa and cider were the drinks of choice, and though it was cold outside, the home was as warm as it could possibly be.

"Thanks for letting us come over," Amy said, gathering up the plates after breakfast.

"Eh. Not a problem." Shadow's eyes were cast on Sara the whole time.

Sonic smirked. "Do anything for Sara, wouldn't you?" He grinned wider as Shadow tried to mask his expression. "Ahh, it's okay...but we gotta get back to sparring some time, it's been too peaceful, hasn't it?"

"You're the one who's been slacking, I beat you the last three times we sparred." He shrugged, happy to change the topic. Sara gave him a knowing smile and sat down on the floor to play with the kids.

"It was a draw!" Sonic replied. "I was tired from work anyhow." He stretched a bit and laughed.

"If you'd let your ego deflate a bit, you could admit defeat," Shadow cut back.

"Heh. Never." Sonic stood and headed back to the kitchen, "Hey, Shadow? Want some egg nog?"

"Nah!" he replied and looked down at the little girl who crawled onto his lap while he was distracted.

"You give me this, Papa?" She held up a stuffed My Little Pony.

"Yeah, yeah I did." He put his arms around his little girl and pulled her to him.

"Thank you! I'm gonna sleep with it tonight, and I'll brush her hair...and I'll take real good care of it, I promise!" She snuggled against the fluffy white tuft on his chest. "What'd you get, Mommy?"

"I got her what she wanted." He stroked Maria's fine quills gently. They'd toughened up considerably since she was born, but they were soft as could be. "I let her have a nice family Christmas."

"Huh?" She looked around the room at Blitz and Rift, and Amy and Sonic, and then her mom. "That's it?"

"Yep. I think she likes that more than the night gown." He smiled slyly, watching a deep blush fill his mate's cheeks.

"You mean that thing I can't wear yet? You're cruel!" She wrinkled her nose at him and Shadow gave an honest laugh in reply.

Soon after, a knock came at the door and "Grandpa Chuck" was let into the house. He came bearing an arm full of gifts for the kids and happily joined the festivities. Since Sara's pregnancy was starting to slow her down, he even helped prepare dinner later that evening. While Shadow remained fairly quiet as he did at any social gathering, there was definitely a peaceful look on his face, especially when he looked at his love and their child.


	10. A Girl's Curiosity

January was cold and dreary with a lot of overcast days. Maria enjoyed playing in the snow, but it soon became bitter cold and Sara made sure she didn't stay out too long. Shadow still traveled into the warmer parts of Station Square for his job, so he only encountered the white powder when he came home, not that he minded. He did mind how the gray skies were affecting his mate, however

As it was the fourth month of her pregnancy, Sara spent a lot of time resting. She didn't want to stay in bed all day so she migrated from the couch to the E-Z chair to the couch in the den. Maria had decided to play games in there, so at least she had some company today.

"Mommy, are you okay?" she asked after a while.

"Hmm? Yeah, of course I am." Sara smiled tiredly.

"You're tired a lot," Maria commented, trying to get back to her game.

"Ahh? Yeah, I am." She leaned back against the soft cushions of the couch.

"Why? Papa doesn't like it," she asked, though her mind wasn't on the game as she fell in the same hole for the fifth time.

"Because I'm pregnant. Your lil' baby sibling's taking a lot of energy to support." She smiled anyway and stroked her round belly. "Daddy would like to see me more energetic, but he understands."

"Were you like that with me?" She pouted at the Game Over screen and turned off the system.

"Yeah." Sara chuckled. "It's nothing to worry about." She closed her eyes, but opened them a minute later when her little girl climbed up onto the couch and put her hands on her belly. "Ahh...?"

"You shouldn't make Mommy tired," she scolded at Sara's belly. "Wah! It moved!"

Sara laughed, "Yes, he's kicking…or she's kicking."

"You don't know?" She looked at her mother quizzically.

"Nope. I want to be surprised." She closed her eyes, but that didn't last long, as Maria slapped her belly. "Hey! Now what was that for?"

"...He hit me again!" Maria replied with her hands on Sara's belly.

Sara laughed. "I'm getting kicked from the inside out, I don't think he's old enough to fight with you yet."

"Oh..." The girl snuggled against her tired mom. "You need to stop kicking Mommy so she can sleep," she said into her mom's belly.

"That's my girl.." Sara gently stroked her daughter's quills, and soon fell asleep.

A gentle pressure on the cushions next to her woke Sara a few hours later. Maria had gone off to her room to play, so the one next to her now was a black and red hedgehog. "Morning, sleepyhead."

"Mmm...aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Sara worked to sit up, but quickly gave up supporting herself and leaned on Shadow.

"I know I ask this a lot, but are you all right?" he asked softly, putting an arm around his mate.

"Yep. Just tired." A peaceful smile was plastered on her face and couldn't be shaken. "You ask enough, though, that even Maria's after me about it."

"...Sorry." He placed his other hand on her belly, feeling for any movement. He didn't have to wait long. "How active is it?"

"Enough to keep me awake when I want to sleep," Sara chuckled.

"Figures, eh?" Shadow stopped stroking her belly and put one arm under her legs and picked her up off the couch. Sara gave no complaints as he hauled her upstairs to bed.

* * *

"Maria?" Sara walked around the house looking for her little girl. Having exhausted all possible hiding places, she headed into the half-completed nursery. "Ahh, there you are."

Maria was staring at the crib when she walked in. "Hi, Mama."

"Now what are you doing here?" she asked gently.

"This where the baby's going to sleep?"

"Yep. That was your crib once." Sara smiled.

"It's big."

Sara laughed, "Yeah, your dad's stubborn about some things. That crib was made for a human baby. We used to use your toy chest to step on so we could reach into it."

"Really?" Maria noticed the wooden platform next to it.

"Yep. Actually, some of the stuff here used to be yours... You don't mind, do you?" She knelt down by the dark blue hedgehog.

"No."

"You're gonna be a big sister, so you need to help your baby sibling out." Sara smiled warmly.

"How do I do that?" she asked.

"Well...you're the role model, so be kind and honest, and make sure you protect him or her like Blitz watches Rift."

Maria made a face. "His fists hurt. You want me to fight?"

"Well...not unless you have to." She took her girl's hand and walked back toward the door. "How about some pumpkin pie?"

Maria giggled, "Sure!"

* * *

Dawn was coming later and later, though sleep was coming less and less for Sara. Shadow lay next to her in bed trying to think of ways to relax his mate. A soft moan escaped her, and he knew she was still awake. He drew in a slow breath and placed his hand on her belly, not for the first time that night. As he suspected, the baby was freely kicking and testing its borders.

Shadow applied a bit of pressure and the kicking slowed. "That's better," he said softly, and began stroking the soft belly fur. Sara gave a relieved sigh. He still felt a bit of movement from the baby shifting inside, but it was no longer kicking full force.

It wasn't the first or last sleepless night for the expecting mother. Shadow continued to support her, giving her massages to ease her aching muscles, and rubbing her belly, which seemed to soothe her more than anything. When he was sure she was asleep, he would even whisper softly to the baby, telling it to be more gentle. It may have worked, as his touch and voice seemed to influence the unborn's behavior. He seemed to be able to calm the baby when it was restless, allowing Sara a more peaceful night's sleep.

Sara didn't wake until sun began shining through the window one morning. "Hnn?" She hadn't slept in like that in a long time. It was refreshing on the one hand, until she noticed her furry pillow was missing. She propped herself up against the pillows and glanced around the room. "Huh..." _Did he have to work today?_ She thought about it but dismissed the idea.

Soon the bedroom door opened, and in walked a small dark blue and reddish brown hedgehog with bright crimson eyes. She was carrying a tray, on which was toast, eggs, hash browns, and a glass of orange juice.

"Easy..." Shadow's voice called from less than a step behind her as he held the door open.

"What's this?" Sara smirked a bit at the breakfast in bed.

"Breakfast, Mama!" Maria beamed. She tried to figure out where to put the tray, but pouted, "Mama's lap's too big!"

"Getting bigger every day." Sara chuckled and took the tray from her. "Thanks, pumpkin... So whose idea was this?"

"Hers." Shadow sat down on Sara's lefthand side where he usually was in the morning. "She was burning toast when I came downstairs."

"So that's why you were gone." She sniffed the food; it smelled good. She piled the scrambled eggs onto her toast and made it into a sandwich. "Mmmm. Now why don't I get this treatment every day?" She laughed lightly.

Shadow shrugged. "You need your strength...I don't want Dr. Quack complaining I don't feed you."

"I made my own bowl of cereal this morning!" Maria beamed proudly.

Sara glanced at Shadow, and he nodded. "That's great, sweetie!"

"Half of it wound up on the floor, but she did, all right." He shrugged again.

"Aww! You weren't supposed to tell her that!" Maria complained.

"And you burnt your fingers on the toaster," he continued.

Maria pouted. "Mommy! Make Daddy stop being mean!"

Sara laughed a bit and dug into the offered breakfast. Maria was on her best behavior and took the dishes for her mom after she was done. "Whew... Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome." Shadow held her to him, and lightly brushed her bangs out of her face. "You smile a lot."

"I'm happy," she replied.

"You smile even when you're in pain," he commented, and placed a hand on her belly; the baby was asleep for now, it seemed.

"You find it odd?" she said, not denying his claim.

"I like your smile, but I like it genuine." He nuzzled her lightly.

"It is." A content smile curled her lips. "Every kick reminds me of the precious cargo I'm carrying. I also smile for you...because I love you."

Shadow gently licked behind her ears. "I love you too."


	11. A Growing Family

Maria hadn't been to the MRC in quite a while. She rarely got sick, a testament to the boosted immune system she'd inherited from her father. She was sitting next to her grandfather in a waiting room and was starting to grow anxious about it. To pass the time, she'd been playing Phantom Hourglass on her mom's Odnetnin SD, but as the battery light turned red, she wondered how long they'd be there.

"Grandpa? When are Mommy and Daddy coming back?" she asked after a while.

"Hmm? Well...when your mom's given birth to your baby sibling," the light blue and gray hedgehog replied. He'd been reading a thick technical journal while waiting. It had already been several hours since his daughter was admitted.

"How long will that take?" Maria asked.

"Hard to say... It could be any time now." He looked over at his granddaughter. "Worried?"

Maria nodded. "Daddy was upset and Mommy was crying and hurt...and they were all rushed and everything... Is she really okay? I never see Mommy cry..."

Charles hedgehog frowned a bit at that. "Well...having a baby's very painful...but she'll be okay."

Maria nodded. "If you say so."

* * *

Shadow had been through this before, but it still unnerved him. Sara held his hand tightly with each contraction. There were tears in her eyes from the pain, but she'd managed to control herself so she didn't scream out as she had initially.

"I would've thought you'd have gone for the pain killers this time..." Shadow commented while she was resting between the increasingly frequent contractions.

"Sorry...I don't believe in them." Sara groaned a bit.

"Stubborn like your mother..." Quack commented.

"Ahh...or like my cousin?" She smiled a moment before another contraction hit her and she doubled over in pain. "Oh please tell me I can start pushing! This is...killing me!"

Quack cleared his throat and checked on the dilation. "Ahh! Good news, you can start pushing on the next contraction!"

Both Sara and Shadow looked a bit relieved at that news. Shadow braced himself, expecting Sara's hand to clamp down on his fiercely in a few moments, and was not disappointed. From the time she was allowed to push, the whole process accelerated and soon the air was filled with a baby's cries.

"Congratulations! It's a boy!" Quack informed them as he cleaned the child and severed the umbilical cord that had bonded the baby to his mother only moments ago.

"Let's see him," Shadow said with some eagerness to his tone. He smiled warmly at the tired but relieved mother and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

A sky blue hedgehog with black markings was placed in Sara's welcoming arms. "Aww...it's okay, sweetheart...Mommy's here." She comforted and cooed until the baby settled down.

Shadow inspected the boy, his tiny ears and nose, the wet and very short fur that covered his fuzzy little body. "Your fur, my markings," he commented.

"Sort of...kind of reversed with the black there." Sara relaxed.

"Ahh...I hate to disturb you, but we do need the afterbirth out…." Quack commented.

Sara gave a slightly disturbed look, but gave that extra push to clear things out. "Hmph... Can I rest now?"

The avian doctor gave a chuckle. "Yes yes. Just let us get you cleaned up and we'll move you to a recovery room. Have you thought of a name for the little one?"

"I have." Sara lightly stroked her baby's head. His eyes were still closed, and she wondered whose eyes he would have when they were finally opened. "I want to call him Ash. You like the name, hon?"

Shadow gently kissed her forehead. "Yeah. I do."

Soon, Grandpa and Maria had been introduced to the new addition to the family. Sara had fallen asleep by the time they were admitted in, but Shadow was holding his new son while seated in a chair next to her. Maria asked again if mommy was all right, having wanted her attention, but she was assured she was fine.

* * *

Maria found her parents' time occupied heavily with the new baby. Ash cried a lot, and she was getting tired of hearing it. She tried crawling between her parents one night in bed but was quickly sent back to her room. She wasn't used to being ignored... Well, it wasn't that they were trying to ignore her, but Ash demanded attention, and certainly he was more vocal about it.

"Mommy, you wanna play Chutes and Ladders?" she asked, holding up the board game.

"Not now, hon." Sara replied, holding Ash in her arms. "Your baby brother's hungry again," she chuckled.

Maria's expression sank. "Aww! But why? We haven't played in for-ever!"

"Because Ash needs my attention," Sara said firmly. Maria twitched an ear lightly and made a face like she'd just tasted a particularly sour lemon. "Hey, no making faces like that, okay?"

"Daddy! You wanna play Chutes and Ladders?" She decided to try Shadow, who was typing away at the computer's keyboard.

"I can't right now...I'm working on bills," he replied, checking over their bank statement for any errors.

"Fine!" Maria slammed the game down on the den floor and stormed out.

Shadow quickly turned back to the spilled puzzle pieces and looked at his shocked mate sitting on the couch nearby. Ash had begun crying at the loud clattering sound. "Maria...?!" He reached for the box but stopped and decided to go after his daughter instead. "I'll be back."

Maria was to be found in a corner of her room, having two of her unicorn ponies duel. "Just what was that about?" Shadow voiced behind her, completely unamused by her behavior.

"You guys don't like me anymore," she sulked, and clashed the two plastic ponies together harshly.

"You're being stupid." He knelt down behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. Maria rammed one of the ponies into his wrist. Shadow's eyes widened as his gold limiter bracelet unlatched. "Stupid...!" He quickly reattached the bracelet as a bit of emerald light spilled out. His next action shocked Maria more than the light as he struck her hand hard enough to knock the pony to the floor.

"...Papa!" Maria's eyes filled with tears and she began crying.

Shadow scowled and gave her a harsh look. "Maria, enough! You're too big to be whining like this. Your mom and I love you very much, but a baby takes a lot of time and attention!"

"Papa's mean!" she continued crying and held her wrist.

"When have I _ever_ hurt you?" He took Maria's hand in spite of her complaints. "You're hurting _us_ by being like this!" Maria continued to cry, but eventually slowed to a whimper as she looked into her father's eyes. "...Believe me, will you?"

Maria sniffed, "I'm sorry, Papa...I didn't mean to make you angry..."

Shadow sighed and kissed her forehead. "We'll play with you later okay? Just be patient..."

"Okay, Papa...sorry I hurt you." She glanced at his wrist, wondering about the light she saw.

Shadow stood and stroked her hair. "Be a good girl, Maria," he said softly and headed back to the den.

* * *

Amy came over with the boys a few days later. As expected, Maria and the boys ran off to play video games, so the two women were free to chat.

"Aww...he's adorable!" Amy commented at the bundle in Sara's arms.

"Thanks." She smiled proudly. "Want to hold him?"

"Sure, thanks." She took the little boy from Sara and gave him a closer inspection. "Wow...interesting markings. After Maria there, I'd have thought he'd at least have some red on him!"

"I didn't know what to expect...interesting that he'd have my fur and Maria's is so dark...but the black...that's definitely his dad," Sara commented. "Also has his eyes."

"Both of them, huh?" The sleepy little hedgehog yawned and blinked his lazy ruby eyes open. Realizing he wasn't in his mother's arms, he began to fuss. "Heh...I see what you mean... Ohh come on, baby, it's all right...here." She passed the baby back to her mother. "How's Maria taking it?"

"Mmm...not so good. She's jealous." Sara headed over to the living room couch and took a seat. "You didn't have that problem with Blitz, did you?"

She shook her head. "Nope... He's too young to remember being an only child. Almost an exact year apart."

"Thought so." The sky blue hedgehog shrugged and cradled her baby gently.

"Maria's always been a sweet girl, I'm sure she'll adjust," the pink one replied. "She gets along pretty well with the boys."

"Yeah." She glanced back at the den. "Should we check on them?"

"In a bit."

* * *

"Nooo! You got the last two smash balls!" Maria whined as Lucario opened up with his Final Smash, launching Princess Peach and Yoshi into oblivion.

'_And the winner is...Lucario!'_

"You're better than this." Blitz made a face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…." she said flatly. "Come on! One more!" She pushed buttons until they were on the Character Select screen again. She picked Pit this time.

"You lie bad," Blitz said and picked Ganondorf. Rift said nothing and picked Toon Link.

"It's Ash." She wrinkled her nose at saying his name and tried to focus on the fight. It didn't start out too bad, as she whirled into Toon Link, almost sending him over the edge. Ganondorf's slow movements made him an easy target for the more nimble characters, though when he got a hit in, it hurt.

"Your baby brother?" Blitz asked as he geared up a slow but powerful attack. He missed Pit and sent Toon Link flying.

"Wah... No fair!" Rift pouted.

"Yeah." Maria managed to get to the smash ball and sent a troop of angels flying after her foes. "I don't like him."

"Why?" Blitz frowned a bit at being knocked off the edge by that attack, but he still had a couple lives. "HA!" He smirked triumphantly as his foot came down hard and Pit slammed into the front of the screen. "huh? How are you throwing bombs?"

"Down and B...then throw with A," Rift replied. He then held down the B and slammed an arrow into Ganondorf, a smile growing on his face.

"Mommy pays more attention to him than she does me…Daddy too." Maria scowled, looking more like her dad on a bad day than anyone would have liked.

"Oh...but he's just a baby. Uncle Tails came over with the twins a few days ago, he said they keep him really busy," Blitz commented, grinning as Pit went flying again. "HEY! Get off of me!" he shouted as the Master Sword came down on his head.

"Make me." Rift grinned. He darted out of range of Ganondorf's attack and shot him with several arrows before Pit came down on the two of them.

"Really? I didn't think about that." Maria managed to do a grab but it was interrupted by an arrow from Toon Link.

"Yeah. He says Fiona's tired and they keep them up..." Blitz continued. "Mommy said we used to do the same, but it gets better."

"...So Ash won't just cry all the time?" Maria asked as she lost her last life to Ganondorf. "Hmph…."

"Oh you did _not_ just throw me like that!" Blitz made a face as Ganondorf got slammed across the stage. "Nope...he'll get bigger, then you can fight with him like I do with Rift."

_'And the winner is...Toon Link!'_

Blitz punched Rift in the shoulder for that. "Ow! Hey! I never win!" Rift made a face.

"...Okay well...he better stop crying soon," Maria commented, "One more game?"

"You're on!" The purple hedgehog beamed.


	12. Knothole Reunion

It had been quite a while since Sonic was in Knothole, since he or his cousin had visited their homeland. Having been sent an invitation by Queen Sally to celebrate a holiday in honor of the "Sonic Heroes," it was about time to pay such a visit. The Heroes included Team Sonic, Team Rose, Team Dark, and Team Chaotix. Their contributions to protecting Mobius and Earth were on a scale large enough that the ground squirrel felt it was about time they be properly honored. While Shadow was not entirely inclined to go, Sara managed to persuade him it was the right thing to do.

Seven year old Maria was wide eyed as she followed her parents through the village. Even though she'd been to Mobius once before on a camping trip, Boulder Bay was a fair distance from Knothole, and they'd only spent a couple hours in Gate City. As such, she'd never seen so many Mobians, or so many varieties of Mobians all in one place. For her, it was actually weird not seeing humans around, and she checked to see if her parents were reacting similarly.

Sara had a relaxed smile on her face and carried Ash on her hips; the boy, at least, was wowed by all the Mobians in sight, and kept pointing at everyone and everything. Shadow had his usual stoic expression, though a slight frown revealed his dislike of large crowds. He didn't like going to the mall very much, though, so it wasn't something he restricted to Mobians.

"Did I hear we're staying at the palace?" Maria finally asked after they'd walked in relative silence for a while and the gates of the palace were coming into view.

"Yeah..." Shadow replied with a slightly uneasy air.

"Sonic and Sally used to be very close when she was still the princess," Sara commented. "In fact, he was almost king."

"Oh wow...that would've been cool. Why didn't he marry the princess?" she asked, using the human term.

Sara chuckled, "He took Amy as a mate. She had a crush on him for a long time, and he finally returned the feelings."

"They're at the palace already, aren't they?" Shadow inquired.

"I think so," Sara replied.

The family was greeted at the gate by a coyote with blond hair parted in the center. "Bonjour, Monsieur Shadow, Madame Sara. You 'ave brought your family, oui?"

Shadow nodded and gently guided his daughter forward. "This is Maria, and the boy is Ash."

"Oui. Oui. Très bon. She iz very beautiful." He smiled at the girl and took her hand, kissing it in a gentleman-like fashion. "Now, right zis way s'il vous plaît." He nodded and led them inside.

* * *

The family was guided into a large marble hall set with long tables and chairs. Blue and gold fabric stretched across the table, and the dishes were a mixture of crystal and glass, which sparkled in a dazzling way. The girl knew a few things about money, and from the shining white marble to the crystal dishes, she was sure the whole place was worth ten times more than their house, at least. "Whoa…." She was totally amazed by everything and wondered why her parents didn't seem nearly as impressed.

At last she noticed a few small clusters of Mobians already present in the room. A bunny with metal limbs and a purple walrus were conversing with Sonic and Amy. Uncle Tails and Aunt Fiona were there with the twin terrors, speaking to a white bat and a lavender weasel. A small female lavender bat was holding onto the older bat's hand. A very fat, stupid looking purple cat was also present, with a young teenage bunny talking avidly to him with a chao at her side playing with a small frog. A crocodile, two chameleons, and a bee made up another group, with a robot being the oddest of the guests. Next to them was a family of echidnas.

"Who are all these people?" Maria asked shyly after a few.

"Friends." Sara smiled warmly.

"Oh hi!" The bee was the first of the guests to come over and look over the dark hedgehog's family. "Long time no see, Shadow! Is this your mate?" He looked at Sara and received a nod. "Wow...and two kids. Heyyy! Don't touch those!" He tried to pry an antenna away from Ash's hands.

"Sorry about that...Ash is at that age," Sara apologized.

"It's okay." The bee smiled. "I'm Charmy, nice to meet you!"

Sara introduced Ash and Maria to the Chaotix, Bunnie Rabbot, and Rotor, since Shadow didn't feel like talking. Espio was the only one of their group who'd found a mate, or at least the only one who'd brought her…. Vector continued to brag about a girl he was dating, but the look on Espio's face told a different story. The robot guest was introduced as Omega. Maria somewhat remembered Rouge from various get-togethers, but the purple weasel she was now mated to needed introduction. Apparently she'd met Nack the weasel during one of her assignments for the government and the two wound up working together. The result of their union was a very pretty lavender daughter named Lilly. Knuckles was proud of his little girl Lara-su, who greatly resembled her mother Julie-su. Big the cat was his usual "talkative" self, at least if fish was the subject.

To Sara and the others, the shapely lop-eared rabbit who had almost sprouted to her full height was the biggest change in the years they'd been gone from Mobius. Cream the rabbit stood as poised and elegant as her mother Vanilla ever had, and her innocent charm was still radiating off of her. She filled into a red dress more resembling the one Amy used to wear, and her figure had become quite admirable. "Hello, Mister Shadow, Misses Sara. Lovely to see you again!"

"Wow, Cream? My you grew up fast!" Sara exclaimed. She introduced her family in short order.

Cheese the chao quickly warmed up to both Ash and Maria. "I've never seen a Chao up close before," Maria said. "He's warm and cuddly!"

Eventually Queen Sally entered the hall, pleased to see all her guests assembled. She hadn't really changed much since she was a princess, though she now wore clothing more befitting her royal title. Her teal top was made of silk and lace, and the long sleeves hugged her slender arms while at the shoulders the sleeves were puffy. She did wear a silk dress, pleated in the front and trailing slightly behind her, though instead of heels, her good old reliable boots were slightly visible. Quick introductions were made between her and the extended guests, the title Queen disappearing from her name among the familiar guests.

"What? You didn't believe your old man knew royalty?" Shadow said to his gawking daughter.

"Please, just call me Sally." She smiled gently at Maria.

"O... oh...okay, Miss Sally...Ma'am." The girl blushed. "You're really pretty, and this place is so big and amazing! Really!"

Sally laughed. "Honestly, I kind of miss the old Knothole. It was a lot more modest.. It's taken a lot of years to rebuild our kingdom, but you probably don't know much about that, do you?" She saw the girl shake her head. "Thought so...well...your dad's done a lot to protect this world, along with Sonic and the others... You should be really proud of him."

"You really shouldn't have gone to any trouble for us." Shadow shrugged. "We just did what we had to."

"Well, how about I wanted to see everyone back together for a reunion then?" Sally smiled a bit, though she was looking past Shadow at the blue hedgehog.

Shadow opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. "Sorry...I haven't been able to make him any more social." Sara chuckled, putting her free arm around Shadow. "I don't know about him, but I liked having an excuse to visit home again."

"We already have a home in Station Square," Shadow said softly.

"Ahh...I'm sorry if it's created any trouble for you," Sally said, her smile fading a little. "But it is nice to see you've settled down." She addressed the dark hedgehog, "Looks like you have a nice family."

"Thanks," Shadow replied.

"Well, everyone's probably tired from travel so...!" Sally smiled, addressing the group in its entirety, "We'll be having dinner shortly. You can get settled into your rooms, and we'll meet back here in an hour. There's a feast in your honor, and tomorrow there will be a celebration. I've gone to a lot of trouble setting up Heroes' Day, so I hope you all appreciate it!"

"Hah! As long as there's chilidogs? You better believe it!" Sonic cut in.

* * *

If Maria thought her room at their house was big, it had nothing on the palace. She had trouble sleeping that night with all the excitement in the air. Even though the bed she was on now was the softest she'd ever felt, it didn't seem right somehow. Her crimson eyes stared up at the high ceiling for a while before turning on her side. She knew her parents were in the room next door, but she didn't want to be a wuss by telling them she couldn't sleep.

She got up and headed out the guest room's door and looked up and down the hall. It was dark and quiet. She was sure she'd see some guards pass by, but for now the hall was empty. A door opened across the hall and she ducked back behind the one she'd come from, peeking in the hall. A purple hedgehog crept out into the hall, followed by one who was a bit more on the blue side. Relieved to see familiar faces, Maria revealed herself to the edgy hedgehogs.

"Hi."

"Oh...hi, Maria...couldn't sleep?" Blitz asked.

"Nope... Gonna wake up your folks?" She glanced over at the door to the next room over.

"Nah...we're gonna explore the castle." A grin formed on his face.

"But...if you get caught being somewhere you shouldn't..."

"What're they gonna do? We're guests, right?" Blitz smirked much like his father.

Maria looked back at her temporary bedroom, then at the boys. "Awww...wait up!" She hurried after them, as they were leaving her behind.

The group wandered through the halls only a little ways before someone cleared her throat behind them. "Ahem... Excuse me."

"Ahh! I knew this was a bad idea!" Rift whined, and hid behind his brother.

"Who are you?" Maria asked, turning to an attractive dark-haired lynx. She was wearing a purple gown and had a few beads in her hair.

"I'm Nicole. Shouldn't you kids be in bed?" she asked gently.

"We wanted to see more of the castle." Blitz made a big motion with his arms.

"I couldn't sleep," Maria answered. "Are you gonna tell on us?"

"No...but I will show you something special, since you've come this far," she answered with a gentle smile. "Come on." The kids looked at each other, then decided to follow the strange lady. Soon, they were out in the palace courtyard. "Now watch." She waved her hand, and a series of lights illuminated the place. It was a quite beautiful garden, with strands of lights clinging to rose trellises and sculptures. There were lights in the fountains, which streamed water in shifting colors from the light.

"Wow...it's beautiful! How'd you do that?" Maria stared in wonder.

Nicole chuckled, "Well...I'm actually a computer program."

"No way!" Blitz gaped.

"Mm hmm...I started out as a handheld computer Sally owned...and eventually I developed a way to project myself. The palace is full of holographic-energy emitters, so I can walk around freely within its walls. Ahh...you might not understand, but it works. I also have control over things hooked up to any computer in the palace, like the lighting system," Nicole explained. "You're Sonic and Shadow's kids, right?"

"Uh huh." The group nodded.

"Sonic's part of the reason I have so much personality; he treated me like I was real." Nicole had a reminiscent smile.

"Hey, what's under the big sheet there?" Maria asked.

"Ohh...that's a statue. It'll be unveiled tomorrow." Nicole smiled. "Now, since you've had a chance to see things a little more, I think it's time you kids went to bed. If you need me, I'll be nearby, okay?"

"Okay…. Can I call you Auntie Nicole?" Maria queried as they were taken back inside.

"Hmm...I don't see why not." She chuckled. "Come on, off to bed now!"

* * *

The next day was filled with celebration, as Sally had promised them. A parade was marched down the main street of the city, and the Heroes' families were all privy to riding in the lead car. Maria and the other kids felt like celebrities as cheering crowds rose to greet them everywhere they looked. Sonic adored the attention and hammed things up, running circles around the parade cars at times and cheering back at the crowds. Shadow simply stood tall with his arms folded and looked rather bored at the whole thing. Amy, Sara, Fiona, Julie-su, and Rouge were cheerful over the event, but understandably subdued, as they had to pay close attention to their children.

It wasn't until the festivities were over that the real celebration began. The group gathered in the courtyard the following day for a cookout. The chilidogs and hamburgers were more gratefully received and eaten than the elaborate meals that had been set before them the two days prior.

"Mmm hmm…. Did you get my unc's recipe for this, Sal?" Sonic asked, taking a big bite out of a chili dog.

"Hmmm...maybe." Sally smirked. She was dressed in a simple vest and boots and lacked the crown she'd been wearing before. "Miss Knothole much?"

"Sometimes." Sonic shrugged.

"You know…if you wanted...your efforts have more than warranted position as a royal knight," Sally said in a calm tone to her old friend. "The offer's open to any of the Heroes."

"Thanks, Sal, but I don't think so...I'm fine working and living on Earth. Besides, I got Amy and the kids with me." He smiled over at the pink hedgehog, who was flanked on either side by the boys.

She nodded. "We really have drifted off to two different worlds, haven't we?"

"Still friends, though." Sonic said with a classic smirk on his face. "So just enjoy that you got us here for a while, right?"

Sally gave a good-natured smile. "Yeah. There's that at least."

Sara was seated with Rouge on one side of her and Julie-su and Fiona on the other, and before them was a group of two-year-olds tumbling on the grass. Maria had lost track of Blitz and Rift, so she gravitated toward the young crowd. "Hi, Mom."

"Hey, baby! Enjoying it here at the palace?" Sara smiled and looked back on the kids.

"Yeah it's great, did you live here when you were little?" she asked and sat down on the ground.

"Nope...the palace wasn't rebuilt at that time. It was still partly under construction when I went to Earth," Sara replied.

One of the fox twins toddled up to Maria and sat down in her lap; it was Tails' and Fiona's daughter Tracey. "Do my hair," she said.

"Mm...okay." Maria had plenty of practice braiding pony tails, but she was surprised the girl had gone to her for styling rather than her mom. She was the same bright orange as her father, but had mouse brown hair on her head like her mother.

Lilly watched Maria braid Tracey's hair, then practically pushed her out of the girl's lap and took her place. "Me now!"

"Hey! No pushing!" Rouge scolded. She was dressed much more modestly than she had in the past, and had grown out the ends of her hair so they trailed half way down her back these days, cutting off at her wings. She still had a certain sultry charm to her, though she still looked good wearing less makeup.

"Only mommy does my hair," Lara-su said and worked her way into the pink echidna's lap.

"How long are we staying?" Maria asked after a while.

"Hmm...Sally said we could stay as long as we want, but I don't think your father will want to stay more than a couple days," Sara replied.

After a few minutes, Maria finished braiding hair and caught sight of Blitz and Rift again. "Okay, well...I kinda like it here...there's lots of other kids like me." She stood and then hurried over to her friends.

Sara watched her little girl join the boys and noticed a few other kids with them. They were probably the children of palace staff, but she thought she saw an orange hedgehog among them. _Could he have...? ...Nah…._


	13. Park Pals

Shadow agreed to stay a few days, taking advantage of the impromptu vacation. The sights and smells of the forest village were very different from Station Square, as was the pace of life around them. After the excitement of the first couple days had died down, things seemed much more peaceful. Shadow was even getting used to seeing people his size more regularly. He and Sara had left for Earth fairly shortly after becoming mates, and watching the kids playing with other hedgehogs and Mobians made him wonder how things would have been different if they'd have stayed.

He was now cruising through one of Knothole's parks at a fairly sedate speed for him, but trailing just behind him was two year old Ash. He kept a close eye on the boy, who had a tendency to stumble. He didn't recall Maria being as clumsy, and the way she was running circles around him now proved that point.

"Don't go too far!" he said as she streaked past him.

"I won't!" she assured her father as she sprinted ahead of him.

A flash of orange and green raced by Shadow's line of sight, causing his quills to bristle. It was a young hedgehog boy, probably around six years old. His eyes were yellow and his arms and belly were slightly salmon, almost blending into his bright orange fur. He was speeding along on a green Extreme Gear board, and upon seeing him, Shadow immediately hated him.

Maria had to think fast to avoid a collision with the careless boarder. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Catch me if you can!" The boy beamed and kicked his Gear up a notch.

Maria looked behind at her father momentarily before chasing after him. "Hey, wait!"

"Maria! Stop it! Come back!" a growl crept into Shadow's tone. He definitely didn't like this.

"Papa! Slow down!" the sky blue and black hedgehog cried, tripping over a tree root.

"...Shit..." Shadow turned around sharply to help his small son. By the time he'd picked him off the ground and stopped his fussing, Maria and the orange boy were well out of sight. "...She is so grounded…."

Maria felt a little guilty about ditching her father, but she was enjoying running full tilt for a change. "Did you have to be so rude?" she called to the boy riding next to her on his board.

"You were just going too slow." He glanced down at her shoes. "Those aren't Gears, are they?" he commented.

"Nope. Papa gave them to me, though." Maria ran like her dad did, gliding just above the ground's surface in a skating motion.

"You're weird being that fast," the orange hedgehog commented, and took off down the righthand trail.

"Well...well you have to use a board to catch me!" Maria sped up a bit and overtook the renegade she was chasing, a smile drawing on her lips. She didn't realize how much she enjoyed running, and would make a point of getting out more when they got back to Station Square.

Eventually the two came to a stop by an ice cream stand. Maria didn't have any Mobian currency, so the boy treated them both to fudge pops. "Wow, you're not even sweating."

"Nah, that wasn't even a workout." Maria grinned. She really liked fudgecicles. "Thanks for the ice cream."

"No problem. Your ol' man won't be mad, will he?" the boy asked.

"Mmmm...he might. Papa doesn't have a very good sense of humor." She blushed a bit.

"I didn't think so. He looks mean." He shrugged and took a bite of his fudge pop.

"He is not! ...But he does get cranky some times." She whispered the last part.

"Hey, you wanna do that again sometime?"

Maria smiled at that. "Yeah!... Ahh...if my dad will let me." A worried expression crossed her face as she saw the black and red bearing down on them.

"...Maria!" Shadow partly growled, his brows furrowed and crimson eyes glinting menacingly. "Don't you _dare_ run off like that again!"

"Sorry! I got challenged to a race... You let me run off with Blitz when that happens!" she complained.

"Well this stranger isn't Blitz, is he?" He pointed to the orange hedgehog in contempt.

"...No...but he's not a stranger! We met at the palace," Maria replied, though her forming smile was quickly wiped away. She'd never seen Shadow maintain a scowl like he was at the moment.

"... Come on, we're going back to your mother...now." Shadow grabbed her arm and drew her away, Ash held in his other arm uncomplaining.

* * *

For some reason, mostly Sara's complaints, Shadow didn't take them home after that little incident, and the following day he was back at the park. He sat on a bench and watched Ash play in the sand with Tracey and Kit, Tails' kids. Maria promised to stay in sight, though a sneer curled his lips when she was approached by the orange hedgehog again. The two stuck to the swing set and balancing beam, so he couldn't say anything.

Shadow's anger was spiked to a severe degree as a familiar scent filled his nostrils. He turned, expecting to see another orange hedgehog next to him, but his expression turned more to shock as he caught sight of a lemon yellow hedgehog with apricot eyes instead.

"Excuse me, you don't mind if I sit here, do you?" she asked.

"...No," Shadow managed through gritted teeth.

"Are you all right, sir...?" she quizzed.

"...Shadow... Yeah, I'm fine...just smelled something bad." He scowled.

"Oh...sorry to hear that. My name's Raye. Is that your daughter?" she asked, pointing to Maria.

"Yeah." Shadow nodded.

"Ahh...she's the first girl Chase has really taken to." She smiled warmly over at the kids.

"...Oh..." Shadow changed his view over to Ash and the others to take his mind off things. His son was the youngest of the toddlers, and the smallest, not that it was much of a concern...just an observation. He didn't like the idea of Chase taking to his daughter at all, especially if he was the son of the person he was thinking of.

"You're Shadow, right?" Raye inquired after a moment.

"...Yeah."

"I saw you in the parade a few days ago." She glanced at the dark hedgehog, who grunted lightly and folded his arms over his chest. "That means you're one of the Heroes." She smiled anyway. Shadow wished she would stop talking. "Looks like you're a pretty good parent too, your girl's well behaved."

"...Thanks." He sighed a bit, trying to think of a reason to leave and finding none. "Her name's Maria."

"Pretty name," Raye commented. "Hey, I was going to treat Chase to ice cream, if you want I could spring for a couple cones, one for you and your girl?" She held up a couple of Mobian dollars.

"...No...we're going to dinner after this." He made a motion to Tails and Fiona, who were playing with the kids in the sandbox.

"Oh, all right." She stood finally, and waved to her boy. "Chase! Come on!" The orange hedgehog hearkened to his mother's voice, and soon the two were mercifully out of Shadow's sight.

Maria jumped off the swings and went over to her dad moments later. "Hey, Papa!" She hopped up on the bench next to him. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah." He got off the bench and walked over to the sandbox. "Maria's ready to go, how about you?"

"Oh, sure. We'll have everything ready in about an hour." Tails smiled and plucked Kit off the ground, while Fiona gathered up Tracey.

* * *

"We're going home tomorrow," Shadow announced while lying back in the soft bed they'd been sleeping in while at the palace.

"Eh? Oh come on, we're not even packed," Sara replied, climbing into bed next to him.

"Well then get packed." He'd been in a foul mood all day, and it was starting to bug Sara.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." She brushed her fingers through his chest fur and rested her head against his.

"It's this boy Maria's been hanging around." He slightly growled.

"A boy?" Sara's reaction of mild excitement did not make a good impression on her moody mate. "Who is it? It can't be Blitz…."

"His name's Chase...his mom's a hedgehog named Raye... Met her in the park," he explained, "...But her mate's musk...it had to be _Duo._"

The reason for his bitter state was immediately clear to Sara, and her expression became an uncertain one. "...Are you sure? I mean...you only met him in that duel..."

Shadow snorted. "Like I didn't smell him all over you that night?"

Sara frowned deeply at that comment. "...Sorry..." She wrapped her arms around him, seeking comfort, but getting none. "...Shadow...that was years ago...if he's got a mate now, he's definitely moved on."

"I don't want Maria getting close to him." His crimson eyes were harsh.

His sky blue mate sighed. "Oh please don't do this...it's like I tell you all the time with Blitz...Blitz isn't Sonic...and this Chase kid isn't Duo! Is he guilty of something because they're related?"

Shadow grunted, "No... but that's a bad example. Blitz is just like his father...just like Sonic."

Sara sighed again. "You know...Maria said she likes it here."

"We're going back to Station Square, end of story." Shadow lay back against the soft bed and fabrics that enveloped the couple and finally put an arm around Sara, though it was more possessive than affectionate.

"...And what happens in a couple years when she decides she wants to live here in spite of you?" she asked with her deep brown eyes downcast.

"...What?" Shadow gave her a puzzled look; at least the cold hardness of his eyes had begun to evaporate.

"...Well...I know you were raised by humans...and we've raised Maria on Earth, but..." she managed to look him in the eyes, "we're not humans."

"...I know that," he replied, still giving her a questioning gaze.

"I just mean that...she'll be old enough to leave us...legally...by Mobian standards...in a couple years. I know it seems really soon, but...it's not for us."

"...You were still living with your father when we met." Shadow rolled over on his side so he could give her his full attention.

"Yeah, but, we were really tight. I _chose_ to live at home when I didn't have to. But if you alienate Maria...well...we can't force her to stay," Sara finished.

He understood what she was saying, but the idea of her and Duo's kid... "So what are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting you cool off and get over the past." Her statement hit home for Shadow. "If Maria's having fun, you really want to stop that? But if you want to go home because you're angry...she's going to know... She's not stupid."

Shadow sighed. He attempted to pull Sara into his arms, but she turned her back on him, and for once her quills were tense. _Bastard's messing thing's up again..._


	14. Old Wounds

If Sara was waiting for Shadow to cool down before they left Mobius, she just might have been in for a wait. In trying to work out his frustrations, Sonic and Shadow had taken up their sparring matches again. There was a certain ferocity to Shadow's fighting style, which had not gone undetected by his blue counterpart. Sally was privy to a few of the sparring matches, which took place in the palace courtyard.

Blitz and Rift had begun their own matches not far from their father's bouts. The two were every bit as fast as their dad, though they lacked the fighting experience. It was tiring just watching them, but they definitely tried hard. Blitz had learned his father's homing attack, though Rift still had trouble pulling himself into a tight ball. The younger of the two had better turning ability, however, and his more relaxed nature helped him calculate his big brother's movements.

"How long have they been at it?" Amy inquired, walking up to the queen. Ash was seated in her lap for the time being.

"About two hours now," Sally replied; her eyes moved from the red, black, and blue to the younger streaks of orchid.

The pink hedgehog looked over the battlefield that the courtyard had become and heaved a sigh. "I haven't seen them go at it this much in a while. Wonder what brought this on."

"Should we stop them?" Sally made a face.

"Probably. Any ideas?" Amy smiled at her two boys, noting that the younger one was putting his brother to the test.

"Yeah, it's about lunch time...just the mention of chilidogs should get Sonic's attention." Sally grinned. "Sonic! Shadow! Kids! Lunch is about ready!" she called in a surprisingly loud voice.

"Food? Great, I'm starved!" Sonic's foot met Shadow's face, and the Blue Blur launched off of him and darted over to his pink mate and gave a smile to the queen "Tell me there's chilidogs?"

Sally laughed, "I'm pretty sure that can be arranged."

A second later, Shadow's fist met Sonic's face, and he went sprawling along the grass. "Hey! Brawl's over, what gives?!" Sonic said as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Hmph." Shadow rubbed his sore cheek lightly.

"Shadow!" Amy slapped him across the face, giving him reason to rub the other cheek. She looked at him crossly. "I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but it had better stop fast. I don't know _how_ Sara puts up with you like this!"

"...Sorry." Shadow grunted.

"Daddy okay?" Blitz and Rift had stopped their sparring and were looking up anxiously at their father.

"Of course! No two-bit punch is gonna put me down for the count!" Sonic smirked and lightly patted his kids' heads. "I think we have a lunch to attend now?" He glanced at Sally, who nodded in reply.

"...I'll go get Sara," Shadow said in a more even tone. "You can take Ash with you," he said before turning to leave.

* * *

Sara and Maria hadn't gone far; they were in the Royal Gardens. In the center of the garden was a rather large statue of Sonic and company. The tribute had been unveiled on Heroes Day, and she was pleased to see Shadow standing alongside him in stone. The statues and flowers that were arranged around the place were absolutely gorgeous, and the flowery scents were subtle and refreshing. Small white and pink blossoms trailed down a high wall, tall yellow flowers towered over smaller orange ones. Even the trees were in bloom; Sara particularly liked the pink cherry blossoms, while Maria smiled at white apple blossoms. It was also a beautiful day out with blue skies and puffy white clouds drifting lazily across the sky.

The peaceful atmosphere lulled Sara into a half-dreamy state, though she was soon shaken out of it as a small orange hedgehog ran up to them. "'Ria!" He beamed and almost bowled Maria over.

She laughed and smiled at her new friend. "Hi, Chase! ...What have you got there?" She saw his hands cupped together.

"This!" He uncupped his hands, and a small toad was sitting in his hand, though it quickly tried to get away.

"Ewww gross!" Maria made a face.

"Chase! Don't run away like that!" a male voice drifted to Sara's ears, and as she looked up from the boy, she saw definitively the father...Duo. The orange hedgehog was dressed in a uniform that was quite similar to the one Antoine had been wearing and bore a couple of pins on it noting his rank and honors. Beside him was a lemon yellow hedgehog, who she rightly guessed was his mate Raye. He'd quickly noticed the sky blue hedgehog and slowed his pace down. "... Sara?" he called in mild surprise.

"Oh... Hi…Duo." Sara replied meekly, averting her gaze from him shyly.

"You two know each other?" Raye inquired. She found Sara's reaction a bit troubling.

"Ahh yeah." Duo smiled a bit. "This is Sara, we grew up together here in Knothole…. Sara? This is my lady...Raye. Isn't she sweet?"

Sara nodded a bit. "She's lovely. I guess you moved on all right."

A certain realization dawned on the sunny hedgehog, "Ohh... You're his ex-girlfriend, right?"

Sara ran her fingers through her hair and let her brown bangs fall slightly over her eyes, "Yeah..."

"I'm sorry, that explains things a bit." She tried to give a welcoming smile. "Is that your daughter?"

"Oh…yeah." She nodded toward Maria. She had gotten Chase to abandon the toad in a flower bed, and found a garter snake, which she proudly displayed to the boy. He was very impressed that she didn't find that to be weird or frightening.

"Chase has been talking about her. Of course it's something, keeping up with an Extreme Gear on foot, isn't it?" Duo smiled warmly toward the kids. "Maybe they'll pick up where we left off, eh?"

Sara's expression sank at those words. "We won't be staying much longer…."

Raye seemed to read something in Sara's reactions, noting her body language and tone. Her eyebrows pursed together in concern. "...Are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh...yeah." Sara managed a smile but it evaporated quickly.

"I think I'm making her uneasy." Duo sighed and put an arm around Raye. "Ahh…last time we saw each other, we didn't part on very good terms."

Something about the way he said that made Raye wonder. "I see. Nothing too bad I hope?"

Sara was silent and avoided eye contact with the two of them. A number of mixed feelings swam around in her mind, many of which she had long forgotten. The unbidden emotions converged in her stomach, which was now churning with her insecurities. She hoped she wasn't shaking.

"...No..."

Raye gave a glance to Duo; he hadn't spoken much about their breakup, though he'd mentioned she was attached before he'd found her on Earth. It had taken a while for the cheery yellow hedgehog to bring him out of a depressed state after she'd been introduced to him through Tiara, but now that she'd encountered his ex, she wondered how much he hadn't told her. "...Are we going to have to have a talk about this later, honey?"

"Umm...I don't think so...and it's been years, right?" Duo tried his best to smile like there was no problem.

"Yeah. Almost...seven years," Sara replied. "Don't need to bring up...unpleasant memories, right?"

"Right," Duo said in a more relaxed tone.

"I don't know...this could be a perfect time to talk about things," Shadow's voice spoke up from beside his mate. Duo wasn't the only one in shock at seeing the black and red hedgehog, as Sara almost jumped out of her skin at his sudden entry. Raye was the only one who'd seen him coming, and shifted uncomfortably.

"S...Shadow!" Sara took his hand in both of hers. She could feel herself shaking and she felt ill; she had a bad feeling about things. She wanted to draw closer to him, but feared he'd push her away. She didn't have to look up at him to know his crimson eyes were glaring at Duo.

"You know...I'm not sure this is really a good time for this," Raye spoke up, not liking the way Shadow was leering at her partner.

"Why not?" Shadow said coolly. "He has been honest with you about his past, hasn't he?" An unwholesome grin crossed his face.

"... Pardon?" Raye's concerned look deepened.

"Shadow...don't…." Sara said in a partial whimper. "She doesn't have to know about it…."

Duo subtly placed a hand on his gun holster, keeping his eyes on Shadow. "What happened is in the past... I think we'd all like to move on with things," he said firmly before glancing over at the kids. They were rooted to the ground, looking over at the adults questioningly.

"Yeah…." Shadow gave a glance to the children as well, but his calculating stare settled back on Duo. "I see you moved on. Got yourself a mate and kid. Not much younger than Maria…. You work fast for someone who swore he'd have my mate as his own, huh?" he said as casually as if he were talking about the weather.

"...Honey?" Raye asked uneasily.

Sara squeezed Shadow's hand and tugged at his arm a bit. "Please...stop..." she pleaded in a choked whisper. She folded her ears back timidly and looked down at the ground, letting her bangs completely obscure her face.

"He didn't mention that? I'm surprised. I mean..." Shadow went on, "he went far enough to shoot me to get me out of the way." A sadistic smile settled on his face as he watched Raye's expression turn to shock. "What? He never told you? I'm shocked…." his voice dripped with sarcasm.

Raye looked over at Duo, but his tense expression told her there was something to his sharp words. "...Did you?"

"You hurt Papa?!" Maria squeaked.

"...Shadow, please...please...not in front of the kids…." Sara's hands couldn't squeeze tight enough. She felt constricted and unable to run, and from the lack of give in his arm, she knew Shadow wasn't turning away from Duo.

"... I'm sorry, Raye...I did some foolish things," the orange hedgehog confessed. "But like Sara said...there's no need to bring this up...and especially now...in front of the kids."

"Foolish?" Shadow gave a dry laugh. "Yeah. Care to tell her the rest of it? Or are you afraid she'd leave you over it?" he challenged the orange hedgehog.

"I don't think I want to know...and I really don't like your attitude!" Raye spoke up.

"Hmph...just thought you'd like to know your mate there's a rapist," Shadow let the words slip off his tongue to shock from all sides. Maria didn't know what a rapist was, and neither did Chase, but the two of them could tell it was bad if the grown ups were shocked.

"Shadow!" Sara squeaked.

"You're lying!" Raye put her foot down firmly. "He would never--!"

"Shadow...you know he didn't!" Sara insisted firmly, a pained expression hidden beneath her bangs.

Shadow growled, "Didn't he? **You had his scent all over you that night!** I know what you've said, but I'm really not so sure he's 'innocent.'" Shadow growled more fiercely, his crimson eyes boring holes into Duo's head mentally.

Sara gave a heartbroken sob and fell to her knees, finally releasing Shadow's hand. "Mama!" Maria rushed over to her mother and gave her a tight hug.

Duo frowned deeply at Sara's cries. Part of him wanted to comfort her, but the time when he could do that was long past. "..Seriously...I didn't rape her," he said firmly. "You want to cause more trouble, go ahead and keep it up...but it's not me you're hurting." He pulled Raye to him and then looked over to his son. "Chase? Come on, we're leaving..."

Chase looked reluctantly over at his friend before turning to go. "Sorry, Ria. We'll play later." He frowned a bit and followed his dad.

Shadow glared after him until a small voice reached his ears, "Daddy? What's rape? Why's Mommy crying?" Regret suddenly washed over Shadow's being as he got a good look at his now wounded family.


	15. Making Amends

Needless to say, lunch didn't go very well. Sara opted out of eating with the others, which immediately excused Shadow as well. Maria was rather confused over the whole thing and left with a lot of questions neither of them wanted to answer. She did show up for lunch, but only poked at her food.

The hedgehog family returned home the following day, though tension was still high. Maria was upset that she wasn't allowed to see Chase before they left. Ash had picked up on the negative atmosphere, so even he was gloomy. Sara didn't feel like doing much when they got home and as such, deciding on dinner was up to Shadow.

The bell rang on Vinnie's Pizza, and as usual, the human proprietor greeted Shadow enthusiastically. "Hey! Shadow! Long time no see...where ya been?"

"...Mobius," he replied with a sigh.

"Hey...you look troubled," the caramel-haired human put in.

"Yeah..." From his height, he could easily see the family pictures Tony had pasted on the front of the counter. In the center was a picture of him and his happy family, to the left was Sonic and his brood, and to the right was a picture of him, Sara, and a baby Maria. It didn't seem like so long ago he was completely and totally happy with his family. Right now, however, it seemed quite distant.

"Care to talk?"

"Not really," Shadow replied. "Just give me the usual, okay?"

"Yeah. I'll throw in a few breadsticks if it'll make ya feel better." Tony smirked a bit.

"You know what, Tony? You're free to beat me up," he said, staring at the picture of his happy family.

"Now why ya go and say that for?" the human asked.

"I hurt Sara...and probably Maria too." He sighed.

Tony whistled. "Whoa. Not used to ya opening up...must be bad, huh?" The hedgehog nodded to him glumly. "Look...go talk to ya wife an' see about workin' things out. Women don't like silence."

Shadow sighed, "Somehow I feel like I should've kept my mouth shut."

"Hey...I know she's crazy about you. Whatever it is, I'm sure she won't stay mad forever." About fifteen minutes later, he handed a fresh pizza with free breadsticks to Shadow.

* * *

Pizza was eaten pretty much in silence. Maria wanted to say something, but the way her daddy looked, she thought better of it. "Ash? Wanna go play?"

"Okay." The boy slipped from his seat at the table and followed his sister into the den.

Sara dipped a cheesy breadstick into some ranch sipping sauce and took a bite. Shadow had been watching her, and the silence had finally gotten to him. "Sara?"

"...What do you want?" Sara's edgy tone took him by surprise.

"Just...you've been quiet." Shadow sighed.

"I don't feel like talking...not like you trust what I say." Sara took another bite of cheesy bread, then put the rest of the stick down.

"Huh?" A puzzled expression came over Shadow.

Sara strained against crying like she wanted to, "...You really think _I lied_? He didn't rape me...I told you...I _swore_ to you...but you had to bring it up _again_!?" A few tears escaped the corners of her eyes.

Shadow reached to wipe the tears from her eyes but found his hand batted away. "It's..." he paused, "...Sara, please…."

Sara gave a cry of frustration, "I begged you to stop! I begged _him_ to stop! Why wouldn't you listen?!" His mouth hung open a minute, dumbstruck. "Do I mean _nothing_ to you?"

"Of course...you mean everything to me." Shadow's turn to fold his ears back.

"...Why do that? Why bring it up...? I...I never wanted to think about that again..." Her eyes were hidden by her bangs once more.

"...Sara..." He got up from the table and walked over to her. He lightly placed his hands on her shoulders. He flinched slightly as he felt several of her quills sink into his skin. "...I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sara trembled slightly. "I can't stop thinking about it now... It almost happened... You remember...how you stayed up with me and held me that night? I needed that...you didn't...I mean...I knew you suspected he did...but you let it go…." Shadow sighed and put his arms around Sara, ignoring her prickly quills. "You believe me, don't you? I'm not trying to protect Duo or justify what he tried to do…."

"I believe you," he said softly. He gave a couple licks to the back of one of her ears gently. Sara sighed and relaxed notably, for which Shadow was glad, as that meant her quills had relaxed as well. "You all right now?"

"...No..." Sara sniffed lightly. "I made you bleed again.."

"I did worse.. I made you cry." He held her tight and nuzzled against her.

"I feel like crap..." she sighed.

Shadow gently helped her up and brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "Come on...let's go clean up."

* * *

"Dad? Can we go back to Mobius?" Maria asked a few days later, having caught her father resting on the den's couch.

He was slightly surprised at her greeting. "Maybe sometime." Shadow shrugged. The question hadn't surprised him, and after a few talks with Sara, his anger had abated...at least for the time being.

"How about now? I wanna play with my friends there." She smiled brightly.

Shadow frowned a bit. "You have friends here...and family. Blitz and Rift are back, you know."

"Yeah, but Chase and the others are new friends. And there were lots of different things to do there that aren't here!" She smiled innocently.

Mentioning Chase first certainly struck a sour note with Shadow, though he chose to ignore it, his ear twitching being the only sign of annoyance. "We'll visit Mobius again sometime...but not now."

Maria sighed a bit, "So what do I do now? I really wanted to go play..."

"...How about asking your mother about going to the mall?" Shadow suggested. He really just wanted to stay in and rest.

"I don't wanna go to the mall...I just wanna get out. The great forest was so pretty!" she commented.

Shadow grunted but sat up. "I know where there's some woodlands near here." He gently stroked Maria's head. One thing about his work, he was intimately familiar with a lot of the natural landscape surrounding Station Square.

"That mean we can run?" It wasn't Mobius, but it would appease her for now.

"Yeah." Shadow stood and stretched a bit. "Let's go." He managed a smile and the two were out the door moments later.

* * *

What Sara said about Maria's being able to leave soon was true. It was just another thing to weigh on Shadow's mind. His relationship with his daughter and mate had been strained since their visit to Mobius. Despite his assurances he trusted Sara, the damage had been done. Maria's vocal desires to return to Mobius were not very reassuring either. The tighter Shadow wanted to hold onto his life and set things right, the more he felt like it was all breaking apart.

"Well...funny seeing you out here," Sara said softly to Shadow. She'd found him out on the balcony attached to their bedroom. It was a starry night, and a lot more stars shone down on their home in the mountains than when they were in the city.

"Really?" Shadow asked softly.

"No, I guess not. Thinking?" She slipped her arms around him from behind.

"All the time." Shadow looked a bit sadly at her.

Sara hugged him a bit more tightly and lay her head on his shoulder. "What about?"

"Lots of things." He shrugged.

"...Specifically?" She shivered a bit at the crisp air. The leaves had already begun to change.

"Maria really wants to go back to Mobius." Shadow sighed. "You saw this coming, didn't you?"

Sara paused a moment before answering, "Well... after she made friends, yeah."

Shadow frowned a bit. "Think if we did a vacation there it'd satisfy her?"

"...If you mean so she doesn't move away when she's older? I can't say...but maybe a more positive experience might help," Sara replied.

Shadow grunted a bit. "I don't want to go back."

"...I know." Sara buried herself in his quills, which were relaxed enough that they didn't prick her. Shadow made an extra effort to be relaxed in her presence and couldn't remember ever pricking her.

"I don't want her playing with Chase either." He sighed a bit.

"Even I'm uneasy about that one," Sara commented. "...Nothing to be done, though...you can't change the past...no matter how much you might want to."

"...Yeah." Shadow closed his eyes, thinking about the human Maria he left on the Ark. If ever there was an event he wished he could change, it was that one.

"You gonna come to bed sometime? It's kind of chilly out here," Sara asked softly, finally releasing him.

"I don't know... You sure you want me in bed?" The question did carry a double meaning, and he slightly smiled at her. He hadn't really smiled much, especially since their trip to Knothole.

"I'm sure." She smiled a bit in return.

Shadow followed her inside, pausing at the door. He should've realized long ago how fragile life was. After all of Tony's talks about love and life, he should have also seen how fragile relationships could be. At least Sara was still with him, and if he had any doubts about her claim that Duo didn't rape her, he certainly didn't doubt her love. He could count on her staying with him no matter what, but he had no idea what he'd do if his little girl left for Mobius. He only had a few months before Maria would be eight, so little time to patch things up. "...Want another kid?"

Sara laughed, "Ohh...give me another four years."


	16. Competing Interests

Perhaps the most important gift Maria received upon her eighth birthday was a cell phone. She was spending more and more time away from home, and Shadow's concern about his relationship with his daughter was increased by that fact. It couldn't be helped, but he could tell it was affecting Sara as well. At least they could keep in touch with her.

With Maria spending more time away from home, Ash was beginning to soak in some much appreciated attention. Finding friends for him wasn't as difficult as it was for Maria. Since the get-together in Knothole, Rouge and Nack had started coming around Sara and Shadow's. Their little girl Lilly was about the same age as Ash, and the two got on well. Tails had also come to Station Square soon after for an aviation project, so the twins Kit and Tracey were also a common sight at the hedgehog house.

Shadow had been on the living room floor playing a game of Uno with Ash and Lilly while Sara and Rouge were chatting in the kitchen. A knock at the door alerted him to company, and he excused himself from the card game to answer it.

"Yes?" He looked down to see a pair of deep purple hedgehogs gazing up at him with their emerald eyes.

"Hello, Uncle Shadow, is Maria home?" Blitz grinned.

"Yeah, I think she's upstairs." He noted that both boys had Extreme Gears tucked under their arms. "I'll-"

"Sweet! Thanks, Unc!" Blitz slipped inside, and Rift stood there grinning at Shadow.

"I am not your...oh whatever..." Shadow made a face and saw Maria bounding downstairs seconds later with her own gear. "Going boarding?" he asked rhetorically. He didn't have to guess the answer, and tried not to sound too irritated.

"Yes, Dad. I won't stay out too long, though." Maria smiled.

As she walked out the door, Shadow realized his little girl wasn't so little anymore. She was almost up to his shoulders, and Blitz was slightly taller still. Rift wasn't far behind him, and soon the boarders were out of sight.

"Daddy? Play more?" Ash waved a hand full of cards in the air.

"Coming." Shadow smiled a bit at his boy and sat back down. He couldn't help glancing at the door every now and then, wondering when she'd be home.

"Was that your daughter just now?" Rouge asked, having watched the group leave through the kitchen window.

"Ahh? Probably. She and Sonic's boys love Extreme Boarding." Sara smiled a bit.

"Didn't even ask to go out, eh?" The bat sipped at a cup of coffee.

"Not so much...she's at _that age,_ you know?" Sara sipped at her own cup of coffee. She enjoyed the warmth and smell of the beverage, always had.

"Ahh, right. One foot out the door...bother you at all?" Rouge sat back against the kitchen chair.

Sara's expression took on a reminiscent hue. "Ahh...not as much as Shadow, I think. But you know...spending that much time with her, watching her grow...doesn't seem like it's been that long, eh?"

"Nope...Lilly's already three." Rouge smiled fondly. "She's growing up to be so pretty!"

"I won't argue with that. Considering who her mother is, it's only natural. Ash is growing up pretty fast too, now that I think about it..." Sara took a sip of her coffee. "He runs circles around me when I'm trying to put him down for a nap. Shadow's had trouble catching him." She chuckled. "He used to trip so much when he first started walking...his knees got all scraped up! Nothing like Maria... She had a lot of balance right from the start."

"So what's Maria planning on doing with herself? Aside Extreme Gears, that is," Rouge inquired.

"Well...she's rather creative and artistic... She's expressed an interest in children's books."

"Ironic really, she's still just a child." Rouge gave a mused grin.

"Yeah, my baby. Sonic tells me all Blitz wants to do is ride. There's a competition coming up in a few weeks, probably why he and Maria have been hanging out at the Gear park so much." Sara smirked a bit.

Rouge nodded. "I don't see why boys like sports so much." She rolled her eyes, "Ahh well. Ash seems well behaved, at least."

* * *

Maria and Blitz went to the Gear park every day that week, gearing up for the big event. The Extreme Air Expo was right around the corner, and the pair had decided to compete. The excitement appealed to the girl, who dressed today in a pink and yellow tank top with purple sweat pants trimmed yellow. She polished her lavender and silver board, smiling when her final preparations were complete.

It was an absolutely perfect day for a race, and Maria breathed in the fresh spring air. She glanced at the stands lining the outskirts of the Gear park. She could see her mom and dad sitting back in the stands with Ash watching from Shadow's shoulders. She was happy to have their support and waved at them before taking her place in the lineup for the first event.

The competition was sectioned off into three main events: Circuit Tricks, which required certain aerial tricks to be performed within a certain amount of distance; Freestyle, which gave the competitors a certain amount of time to impress the audience; and then the Distance Race. Scoring for the first two events would consider things like jump height and trick precision. The last event would determine the fastest rider and was the most anticipated of the events. There were other categories and subcategories that divided things further into age groups and Gear styles.

"Hey Ria! Good luck!" a male voice drew Maria's attention, and a green board came to view with an orange owner.

"Chase?" Maria beamed, "I didn't know you were competing!"

Chase grinned at the midnight and candy apple hedgehog. "Of course! I've gotten really good, so you better watch yourself! I'm going pro, you know."

A smile quickly spread across Maria's lips. "Well, I'm pretty good too! Just wait and see!"

"Hmph, you're both gonna lose!" Blitz gave a feral grin and headed into the lineup.

The supportive smile that Shadow had held was wiped clean when he caught sight of the orange hedgehog, and after his name was confirmed in the lineup. "...Shadow... No. It's just a contest, they're not dating or anything..." Sara cut into him, knowing full well that there could easily be a scene following the competition.

A green swallow had excelled at the circuit tricks and seemed like a sure bet to win. Blitz proved how well he knew his moves, though, gaining incredible height on Air Japan, and then doing a 360 onto a rail and grinding it to the finish. Chase and Maria proved tough competition, and pretty soon the three hedgehogs were the darlings of the competition for their age group.

Freestyle was Maria's competition. The young girl had a certain grace to her, and her focus and creativity melded well in this one. Freestyle was just that, and being able to pull off all the tricks she wanted at her own whim was just a perfect opportunity to show off. Sara cheered loudly, as did the crowd as she pulled off a number of aerial moves and made her landings flawless. She never once needed to refuel, and the five minutes of fame were five minutes of bliss for her.

Blitz's freestyle run wasn't near as lofty as Maria's, as he preferred grinding rails and moving swiftly from ramp to ramp. Chase's idea of showing off involved a lot of time spent flying his board backwards through the course. The swallow, who was the son of Jet the hawk and Wave the swallow, proved to be a balanced player, though he was disappointed that the cheering wasn't nearly as loud toward him.

The final competition had about 24 competitors in all, a couple of humans, a crocodile, a rabbit, and more. Maria brushed her fluffy bangs aside and made sure her hair clips were in place. She looked to her left at the racers at her side. Some were on Gear boards, some had Gear shoes, and some had Gear bikes. But it was to her right that her friends were...Blitz and Chase. Both of them had a strong competitive streak, and that feeling was starting to bubble up within her as well.

"Loser buys ice cream for all!" She smirked and readied her board.

The start of the race was called, and all were off like a shot. Blitz was off to an early lead, which made his father proud. "Show 'em!" Sonic cheered from his spot in the stadium.

"Go, Brother!" Rift smiled, sandwiched between Amy and Sonic.

Paying attention to the air stations and ramps was very important to the race. No matter what kind of Gear you rode, they all depended on air power to run. Maria's performance in the freestyle proved she could gather the most air, but she wasn't the only one who knew how to ride in the wake of her opponent, and being in the lead could quickly change.

It was obvious to Sara that the best competitors were the most relaxed as well. The smiles and laughter escaping the racers, chiefly her little girl, were rewarding to hear. "She's really good, isn't she?" Sara smiled proudly and leaned against Shadow.

A small growl escaped Shadow. "I don't care...look who she's competing with."

"...I don't care about that either. She's having fun." Sara's expression soured.

Shadow sighed slightly and looked over at the finish line. A shining Chaos Emerald was offered as a prize. How many times in the past had Eggman interrupted events like this so he could get his hands on one? He kind of wished he'd crash the party now. Twice he'd missed a chance to beat Duo to a bloody pulp, and now his son was just about within his reach.

"Catch me if you can!" Chase grinned as he used the very wake from Maria's board to launch himself into the lead.

The finish line was closing in, and determination sparked in Maria's ruby eyes. She caught some air from a ramp and slid on a rail a ways before jumping off. Her air supply refilled, she pushed her board to its top speed. She'd caught up with Chase's wake, though she wasn't quite as good at surfing them. The sparkle of the Chaos Emerald seated on a pedestal at the finish line caught her eyes, and something long dormant sparked within her. _Chaos...Chaos...Control!_

Maria's eyes widened as she experienced the shift in the flow of time. The fact that she was still moving, and everything else stood still, had caught her off guard. The world was almost black and white to her, save for the glint of the Chaos Emerald. She knew it had something to do with this, but she had little time to think as she overtook Chase on her board and almost plowed into him. She kept going, and dismounted past the finish line, everything about her on high alert at what was going on. Then in a blink, time resumed.

Shadow recognized what had happened in an instant. He nodded to Sara, who looked at him for confirmation. She had used Chaos Control, perhaps not being aware of it. Shadow looked down at the gold bracelets he wore and wondered if this meant she would be needing her own set. She hadn't been exposed to the emeralds since she was a baby, so it was entirely possible the event prize was what had triggered it. At least it distracted him from the shocked orange hedgehog who wondered how Maria had gotten ahead of him.

* * *

Maria's use of Chaos had disqualified her from the competition, which was a bit of a disappointment. Reuniting with her friend Chase, on the other hand, had completely elated her. Chase was declared the winner, and his being swarmed with fans and media probably saved him from Shadow's wrath as the dark hedgehog went to claim his daughter. Having Ash on his shoulders was also likely to have been a restraining factor.

"Maria...?" he spoke up, trying to draw her attention from the award ceremony.

"Hi, Dad! Did you see how good I did?" She beamed back at him.

"Sissy did good! You jumped sooo high!" Ash said excitedly. "I want a Gear too!"

"When you're older," Sara replied. "I'm really proud of you!" She smiled at Maria, though she worried what Shadow would say with Chase so nearby. Certainly, he had to be on the lookout for Duo and Raye...since the boy was still slightly under age to be on his own.

"Hey, Dad? What was that...thing that happened?" Maria tried to think of how to explain her experience.

"...Chaos Control. You seem to have tapped into the emerald there," he said in an even tone.

"It was cool... Like...everything stopped but...after a minute, I just wanted things to start up again, kinda scary." Maria's crimson eyes were wide at the excitement and rush of the day. She smiled back as they announced the winner of the race.

"Yeah...we'll need to talk about that... You're coming home now, right?" He meant it more as a statement than a question, but the young girl gave him a hesitant look.

"...Actually...I was going to wait for Blitz and Chase. We're going to get some ice cream and maybe hang out at the mall or something," she replied with a smile.

Sara could sense Shadow tensing at the thought and pulled their son from his shoulders. "That's nice. How long are you going to stay out?"

"Ohhh I don't know...ten, maybe? I have my cell phone!" Maria quickly held up the pink Katana III. It had small fake rhinestones adorning it in a heart pattern around the front display. She'd quickly customized her birthday gift and had all the important numbers and her friends entered into it.

Sara looked to Shadow; it was his move now. "...Fine... Ten. But I expect you home then...ten sharp."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Yes, D_addy_! I'll try to be on time," she said in a sarcastic yet innocent tone.

"Hey, Cuz! Ready for that ice cream?" Blitz smirked.

"You bet!" Maria called after him, and the two disappeared into the crowd.

Shadow lost sight of her, and with the award ceremony done with, even Chase was out of sight. _Lucky bastard…._


	17. Forming Bonds

Maria didn't arrive home at ten, and Sara had rather been expecting that. She'd spent all evening trying to ease Shadow's mood, though she knew it wouldn't do much good. Perhaps the only reason he hadn't jumped on calling her at the instant ten o' clock came was Sara's warnings that it would likely drive a wedge between him and his daughter. He decided to wait...at least an hour. Her usually endearing term of "Daddy" was now being used as sarcasm as things currently stood.

At 10:58, Maria walked through the door with a smile plastered on her face, carrying her Gear under one arm and a set of bags from various shops in the other. Of course, Shadow had stayed up lying in wait for her. He wasn't the type who went to bed early to begin with, and he had extra reason to want to watch the door like a hawk.

"You're late," was the first thing he said, with his crimson eyes focused on his daughter.

"I know. I text messaged you that I'd be late, you got it right?" She continued to smile.

Shadow scratched the back of his head; he couldn't argue that point. "Yeah." He looked down at the bags. "What'd you buy?"

"Oh a few things...a new CD by Kurei Eikan...soundtrack for SNG...mmm... " She leaned her board up against the wall before leafing through her bags. "Aha! Try this!" She pulled a Lindt dark chocolate truffle from her Border's bag and held it out for Shadow. He took it and she smiled. "I bought a couple of manga to add to my collection, and a Japanese phrase book for Mama."

"I think she'd appreciate the chocolate more than me," he said honestly. He hadn't unwrapped the offered sweet yet.

"Blitz got a new iPod. We stopped by GameStop and I got a copy of Animal Crossing for Chase." Her father's ear twitched at that. "He has an Odnetnin SD too, so we traded Friend Codes." She giggled. Shadow's amusement levels were sinking through the floor at this point, and it was hard for him to maintain a neutral visage. "Oh and I am sooo full! We ate at the food court...had China Wok, Blitz had something from Chili Mac...ohh and...and...lemme see…. Oh yeah, Chase had Popeye's chicken." She nodded, recounting what they'd eaten. "Then we had Blizzards from DQ, and I am sooo stuffed right now it's unbelievable!"

Shadow shifted uneasily and tried to smile a bit. "Worn out any?" he questioned.

Maria yawned in reply. "Yeah, actually." She chuckled. "Oh...I got Mama a scented candle, is she in bed already?"

"Nah, she's in the den on the PC." Shadow was glad the conversation was shifting away from Chase.

Maria nodded. She set the bags down on a table and fished through them for the phrase book and Yankee candle. "Thanks!" She quickly hurried off to the den to deliver the gifts.

Shadow was left looking at the bags, wondering if she'd gotten anything for him...he doubted it. He looked at the round blue wrapped candy sitting in his hand, a very disposable gift and only offered as an afterthought. It was a perfect expression of how he viewed his relationship with his daughter; he was becoming little more than an afterthought. She could go to Sara for comfort and advice that Shadow was completely unqualified or able to give. They would always be close, he thought. The woman he loved had bore her and raised her with seemingly infinite patience, a guiding force that seemed to know instinctively what to do at every turn. Shadow had been protector, teacher, and disciplinarian. That role seemed to be quickly ebbing away with every inch of growth and day that passed.

"Still here?" Maria saw her dad standing where she'd left him. When he was thinking about things, he was often very still, so she guessed he was in one of those moods.

"Yeah, why not?" Shadow shrugged.

"Ahh...no reason." Maria yawned. "I'm gonna go to bed." She picked up her things.

"..Mind if I tuck you in?" he asked, his expression softened.

Maria made a face at him. He hadn't tucked her in since she was six. "Well...okay." She headed upstairs, and Shadow followed into her room.

He remembered when they moved into the house, setting up her room. In the spring, they'd added rainbow trim, which was now starting to peel away from the wall. Shadow looked around the room, comparing the many small changes which had occurred in the last three years. The chest of toys no longer existed, as many of them had been given to Goodwill not long ago. In its place was a set of shelves, which were adorned mostly with CDs and DVDs. The toy net was also thinner now, only boasting her favorite toys...a Care Bear with a button eye and a raggedy My Little Pony with stuffing popping out of its seams. She also had a couple of Beanie Babies that had been awarded to her on various holidays. Walls were covered with posters for various movies, games, and boy bands. The rainbow furniture had been repainted and sent to Ash's room, so what replaced it was plainer and more mature. It was a telltale sign that his little girl wasn't so little any more.

Maria added her new books and CDs to their proper spaces in the room before slipping into bed, smiling at her new acquisitions. Her crimson eyes fell on her father, and he noted the somewhat distant look in his eyes. "Dad? Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Shadow walked over to the bed finally and gently pat his girl on the head. He pulled the sheets up around her and tucked the edges around her so she was in a warm cocoon. "I just..." He kissed her forehead. "You're growing up too fast." He gently brushed the hair out of her eyes. Maria remained quiet. "..Sometimes I know I can be a pain...but I do love you, Maria." He stood and took a last look at her before heading to the door. "...Sweet dreams."

"...Dad?" she called as he reached the door, "I love you too."

A smile crossed his face as he exited the girl's room. Maybe their relationship wasn't as bad as he thought.

* * *

Maria and Chase had become pen pals, since he was only in town for the competition. The two had exchanged everything; cell phone numbers, e-mail addresses, Friend Codes for every game they had in common on both the SD and Wii/Uss systems. More than once over the next few months, Shadow wanted to find out the password to her e-mail account and spy on her e-mail conversations...wanted to steal her cell phone and delete his number...wanted to destroy every trace of him from her life. For the most part, he kept his temper in check, though Sara was glad Maria had been out with Blitz the day a package arrived for her in the mail--a Christmas gift from Chase. It almost didn't make it into her hands.

As Maria entered her ninth year of life, and Chase entered his eighth, it was clear he was going to become a regular part of her life. Despite Shadow's best efforts to encourage her toward playing with other Mobians, and even taking her to the mall regularly, she looked forward to the hedgehog boy's e-mails and phone calls. When Chase announced that he was coming to Earth to hone his Gear skills, and was now considered a pro boarder, she'd been ecstatic.

When he showed up at the door to their house...it was all Shadow could do to keep himself from lashing out. Of course, since Ash and Sara were down with the flu, he was also powerless to stop or keep Maria from heading out the door with the boy. His well wishes that they'd get better did little to ease him, only Maria's assurance...she had her phone.

* * *

"Are those Gear shoes?" Maria asked as they headed not for the mall, but a local museum instead.

"Yep. I want to be able to keep up with you without lugging around the board." Chase grinned.

Maria blushed. "Aww, you didn't have to!"

"Well, I might need to outrun your dad too." The orange hedgehog laughed.

"What?" Maria said, aghast.

"Well, I don't think he likes me very much...he certainly doesn't like my dad." The boy shrugged as they walked.

"Ahh…. Mom said he wouldn't like any boy I hung around with." Maria shrugged. "He's...kind of protective."

"I noticed. Is this it?" He pointed to a large building ahead of them. There was a huge fountain in front of it, and the building was rather massive.

"Yeah, that's it." Maria smirked. "Race ya!" She bolted ahead and the boy chased after her.

Once inside, the two were greeted by the gaping maw of a T-rex skeleton. Something about the large and ancient beasts never failed to capture the imaginations of young ones. "Whoa, this guy's bigger than Dulcy!" the boy commented.

"Dulcy?" Maria asked.

"She's a dragon, lives in Knothole. I've seen her at the palace a few times, she's a friend of the queen," he replied.

"Oh wow." Maria looked over the bones of a few other dinosaurs and looked at the plaques saying how many millions of years old they were. "...You know some people think dinosaurs aren't that old and the world's only a few thousand years old?"

"Yeah?" Chase inquired.

"Yeah. I actually saw a textbook that said fossils are dated by the layers they're found in, but then on the next page it said that they date the layers by the fossils that are in them. Funny, huh?" She scratched her head.

"Heheh! It is. You really think a dead animal would just lay there for millions of years? You'd think other animals would just eat them. It'd have to be buried quickly," Chase commented.

After a moment of silence, Maria spoke up again, "Does your dad work at the palace?" she asked, and the two continued through a series of hallways, moving on toward an exhibit with bones and caveman artifacts.

"Yeah, sometimes. He was part of the security during the Heroes Day Parade when you visited." He smiled. "You really liked it on Mobius, didn't you?" He ran his hand across Maria's quills, making them stick out at an odd angle.

She laughed, "Well yeah. Probably because I didn't grow up there." She gasped as one of the displays of a group of cavemen started moving; she hadn't been paying attention to where they were going.

He laughed at her reaction, "This place is pretty cool, you know. I'm kind of liking Earth. Hey check this out!" He went over into an Egyptian section. "This looks like some ruins on Angel Island."

Maria followed him and looked over the murals and hieroglyphics. The art was stunning. "Angel Island?"

"The Floating Island. You know Knuckles, right?" he asked.

"Oh! Right! I heard he was a Guardian there...mmmm... Man, there's a lot I don't know about Mobius." She looked over at a sarcophagus. "I know more about King Thutmos or Queen Hatshepsut than where my mom grew up."

Chase's wistful expression softened a bit. "It's okay. How about you teach me about Earth, and I teach you about Mobius?" he offered.

Maria smiled at that. "You don't think I'm being stupid?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. What would be stupid is not wanting to learn."

"So there's more to you than Gears?" Maria smirked like her mother did at times.

"Of course! I can't depend on being a pro Gear boarder for life. I've learned how to build and improve them. Some day I'll probably run an Extreme Gear shop," he explained.

"You should talk to Uncle Tails then." The pair lingered in the room dedicated to aviation. From the first airplane to a model of the Lunar Lander, to jumbo jets and even Extreme Gears, everything was covered. The Gear section mentioned its Mobian roots and link to the Babylon Garden. "He builds planes...and he makes Gears. I mean, Sonic says there's nothing he can't build." Maria smiled at the prototype gear, which looked like an ornate carpet.

"Now that is cool," Chase replied with a smile. "Think you could get him to show me a few things?"

"Probably. So, where to next?" Maria glanced around and saw a staircase leading to an observatory.

The boy looked over to where she was turned and nodded. "How about there? Bet we see a million stars. Maybe more."

"You like to exaggerate, don't you?" Maria took his hand and pulled him toward the stairs.

"Ahh just a little." He shrugged idly and followed her up to the observatory. Maybe it wasn't an exaggeration, as the dome of the observatory was illuminated with a slide show of the solar system. The display of dots and nebulas was a fantastic sight, and the two stood there staring, awestruck.

* * *

"You know...I'm rather proud of you," Sara said before she coughed. She was sitting up in bed and had a serving tray on her lap with soup and crackers on it while Shadow sat beside her.

"What's to be proud of?" he said morosely.

She smiled a bit and took a sip of the soup. "Well, I know you're unhappy, but you made the right choice...not stopping her...staying here where you're needed more."

Shadow sighed but leaned against his mate. Her body was warmer than usual, but he didn't mind. "Why are you so accepting?" He lightly kissed her forehead.

"There's things out of our control... You just have to accept it." She took another sip of the soup.

"So what am I thinking right now?" Shadow lay back on the bed and put an arm around Sara's waist.

"Hmm..." She crumbled a few crackers into the soup. "Why do you ask?"

"...Because you seem to know what I want to say, and I don't want to say it," he replied.

"You're scared...Maria's growing up, doing things without us," she said softly. She coughed a few times before she continued, "It was thrilling watching her take her first steps, say her first words...make her first snowman, eat her first hamburger...the first time she could reach the sink without a stepstool...but now she's using those freedoms to stay out late and explore places she couldn't go before... I can't say I'm not worried…about who she's with or where she'll go..."

"...So what do we do?" He closed his eyes.

Sara moved the TV tray onto the dresser next to their bed. She lay back down on the bed and put her arms around Shadow and curled up to his chest. "...Trust that we raised her right and hope she makes the right decisions."

It might not have been the answer he was looking for, but it hit a chord in the back of his mind. He recalled a light blue hedgehog trusting that his little girl could make up her mind. He held that "little girl" in his arms tenderly. Even sick, she could be a comfort to him. "I hope you're right…." An ear turned aside a he heard an unpleasant sound from the next room.

"...Daddy! I t'rew up!" Ash's voice called.

Sara gave her mate an apologetic look. "Sorry he caught my cold…."

"You didn't do anything, and don't you even think about moving from that bed." He slipped out of bed and sighed a bit. He glanced back at Sara before going to check on their son. _Now why am I not concerned about Ash like I am Maria?_ "Hold on, champ, Daddy's comin'!"


	18. Food for Thought

At age 12, Maria had her first set of children's books out on the market and had a steady stream of work illustrating books for other authors. She was still living at home, and though Chase was a regular sight beside her, there were few incidents between him and her father. After she'd turned 11, Shadow's guard around Chase had begun to lower, though it was clear to Sara he was feeling the same way her father had when they started dating. If it was a courtship, it was certainly longer than theirs had been. Maria's developing figure was both a beautiful and frightening thing to see; Shadow's guard had come down about Chase's personality but not his intentions toward her. In accordance with her advancing age, she was also developing a stronger pheromone scent, which would soon be attracting suitors in addition to her looks. Maria was not unpopular with the cluster of Mobians she and Blitz hung out with regularly.

About the time Ash was five, he started asking to go places, and Shadow had gladly started showing him around. He really enjoyed trips to Vinnie's Pizza, and soon an updated photo of Shadow's family sat where the previous photo had been. Ash also liked playing with Terry, Helen and Chris' son, and had become an accomplished swimmer. Like Chris, Terry had a special fondness of his Mobian friends and a higher level of maturity than other boys his age. Just as Maria frequented Sonic's house to play with Blitz, Ash frequented Tails and Fiona's house to play with Kit and Tracey. He even went to visit Lilly some times, though she was more often with the group for Tracey's sake.

* * *

At age seven, Ash had a more distinct personality of his own. The boy was generally quiet, like his father, though he was far more social. He listened to Tails rattle on about his inventions a lot and shared interest in fixing things, as did his friend Kit. Sara got mad at him one time for trying to fix the Wii when it wouldn't read a disk, but he pointed out the warranty was already outdated...that said, he didn't get any allowance for the next three months and his DS was confiscated. Tracey and Lilly were both very talkative, another reason he seldom got a word in edgewise. As for home relations, he was very good at conning dessert out of Sara before a meal, and had no trouble keeping up with his dad on their runs around the city.

On Father's Day, the boy had given his dad a card and the two went out bowling. He'd decided against Putt Putt Golf, as he couldn't picture his dad enjoying that sport. "Hey, watch this!" Ash smirked and sent the ball rolling down the side of the lane, then curving sharply into the center pin, taking out nine of the pins total. "Crud...missed one."

"That's what you get for showing off." Shadow shrugged.

The boy pouted a bit and retrieved his ball before sending it back down the lane and picking up a spare. "There, happy?"

Shadow patted him on the head. "Yeah." He picked up his own ball and took a look at the pins. They were always in the same arrangement; nothing ever changed there. It was all the power and spin on the ball that determined how they fell. Shadow's ball followed almost the same path as his son's, but the power behind it and slightly gentler curve knocked all ten down in a strike.

"Whoa... Teach me how you do that, Dad!" The sky blue and black hedgehog gaped.

"Eh? I thought you didn't need any lessons." He smirked, recalling how their game had begun. It was the last frame now.

"Well...maybe a little." He picked up his ball and looked up at his father with bright crimson eyes wide. Shadow chuckled and gave him a few tips. He put a little too much power on it this time, though, and wound up with a wide split. "It didn't work!"

"It takes practice," Shadow replied. "You'll get it...just focus."

The boy nodded and studied the pins a few minutes before rolling his last ball. "I...I got it!?"

"Those are harder to do than getting it right the first time," Shadow replied at the well done spare. He picked up his own ball and sent it down the lane for its last roll...another strike. A perfect game.

"Dad...you have really got to show me how you do that…." the boy gaped at the final score. A bit of disappointment pierced his face in spite of having bowled a very good game. His dad hadn't missed a single pin since they started playing.

"Maybe later. Tired of getting your ass kicked yet?" He smirked and mussed up the kid's quills.

"Yeah..." The sound of a cell phone rang, and there were flashes of light from the boy's quills. He grabbed the cell phone out of its hiding place and put it on speaker. "Cheesy Pizza! How can we help you?"

_"Bro, don't you ever get tired of that?"_ Maria's voice queried.

"Nope. What's up?" Ash retorted.

_"Are you and Dad about done? It's my turn to take him out!"_ the girl complained. "_I'm all ready to go!"_

"We'll be home soon," Shadow assured. "Your brother's tired of me beating him anyway."

"H-Hey!" Ash complained to Sara and Maria's laughter wafting through the phone.

* * *

Maria had more expendable income, so she did more than a card for Father's Day. She included a gift card and took the black and red hedgehog out to eat. Not that he didn't enjoy spending time with Ash...but whatever time Maria allotted him seemed somehow more precious.

Maria was dressed in a fuchsia and sun yellow silk dress that was Chinese-style. The hair clip she chose was a cluster of stylized cherry blossoms. Shadow thought she looked very beautiful in it and felt very plain being in simple gloves and shoes, even though that was typical of Mobian males. "Decided to dress up a bit?" He noted also at this time that her height was now just past his nose. In a couple years she'd be nearly fully grown.

"Of course. It's a special occasion, isn't it?" She smiled and held his hand as they walked into the Sakura Japanese Steak House. The smell of ginger and other favored oriental spices assaulted their noses as they entered. As expected, the decor inside had some beautifully drawn pictures, stamped with Kanji, bamboo, and bonsais; a couple of fish tanks; and paper and wood dividers. "Table for two, please!"

Shadow squeezed her hand lightly as they were led to their seats and handed menus. "..Thanks for taking me out. You didn't have to, you know..." He turned his eyes to the menu and tried to figure out what some of the items were. He kind of wished he'd paid more attention when Sara was ranting about Asian cuisine. "...What's yakitori?"

"Grilled chicken strips on a stick," Maria replied with a laugh. "Mom made those a few weeks ago."

"Oh right...and gyoza?"

"Dumplings. Usually a type of noodle filled with pork and cabbage, but not always." She paused. "They're also called pot stickers...Mom's made those too."

Shadow nodded, "Sorry…not used to seeing them on a menu with no explanation..."

Maria laughed, "Okay well...masago is fish eggs...umiboshi is pickled plums...unagi is eel…."

Shadow made a face and held up a hand. "No no, you don't have to rattle it all off...!"

The girl laughed again. "They have sushi platters too...see?"

Shadow nodded; that was something he was at least familiar with. "Hmm…." He raised a brow and grinned a bit. "What do you think about tako sushi?"

"Octopus...very good choice, but I like ika better." She smirked in reply.

"..Squid, right?" The girl nodded. "...You have your mother's tastes…." Maria's smile became a proud one.

"Hello, I am Minako, I will be your server today. Can I get you anything to drink?" the waitress said, pen and pad handy.

"Just water," Shadow replied.

"Hnnn...can I have some lychee-flavored ramune?" Maria asked.

"I'm sorry, we're out of that flavor, but we have peach, melon, and pineapple available," she replied.

"Hmm...melon!" Maria nodded.

"Very well. Are you ready to order, or do you need a few minutes?" She specifically looked at Shadow, who was eyeing the menu dubiously.

Maria was about to tell the waitress to give them a few minutes, but Shadow held his hand up. "I know what I want." He decided to play it safe and went with shrimp fried rice, but to appease his daughter, who seemed disappointed at his lack of curiosity in new foods, he ordered some egg drop soup and a dessert made with umiboshi.

"And for you?" She looked over at the young hedgehog.

"I'll have the okonomiyaki and some custard cups," she replied with a smile as her father looked a bit unsettled at the toppings she chose for her Japanese pizza. When the waitress was gone, their table became rather quiet. Maria eventually broke the silence, "Dad? Why are you always so quiet?"

"It's just who I am," Shadow replied with a shrug.

"Ohh don't give me that." She lightly swatted at his hand. "Tell me!"

Even though her eyes were as blood red as Shadow's, he could see Sara's softness behind them. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Sorry...I just...don't feel like talking a lot."

"Mom says it's because you were part of some experiment...so you used to be watched a lot…. She thinks you watched back, so you don't know how to fit in." She looked down shyly. "She thinks you try too hard."

"...She says a lot of things." Shadow paused. "And she's right a lot."

Maria looked up a bit timidly. "I know you've told me a bit about living on the Ark and all...I've heard you called the Ultimate Life Form...I hope you don't think I'm being nosey, but I mean...I just want to know more about you."

Shadow brushed a hand through his quills. His expression was unreadable, though he could see apprehension in Maria's eyes. "Ask me anything."

"...Are you really the 'Ultimate Life Form?'" Maria lowered her head a little but trained her crimson orbs on him.

"Yes," Shadow sighed. "Though I don't really feel like it."

"Why?" Maria looked up at him with interest, relieved that he wasn't mad at her questioning. She'd asked him about why he seemed to hate her hanging out with Chase a couple years ago, and he'd snapped at her over it.

"Well..." Shadow paused in thought, "I guess it's because...I feel like it puts me on the outside a lot. I'm unique...but alone in that."

"Even though you have me and Ash and Mama?" Maria queried.

"Sometimes…." Shadow nodded. "...I once lost a very precious friend...the Maria you're named after. She was my only friend, she talked to me, and held me, and told me I was special. What I lost then felt irreplaceable…." Shadow was going to stop, but Maria's expression begged a more complete answer from him. He sighed uncomfortably, "The man I considered my father took the loss very hard, and things began twisting so what I once loved, I hated...and I almost destroyed everything I touched."

"Aww...that's so sad."

"You would've been afraid of me." He looked at the gold bands on his wrists.

"What else?"

"Well...I met Sonic...and...heh...we butted heads a few times." Shadow chuckled at the understatement of the year. "...And Amy was the first person to remind me about the things that mattered to me on the Ark, before everything went wrong." He paused again, thinking. "There were a lot of things I had to figure out...like who I was...Even after I decided to move on, I didn't think I'd find anyone who wanted to be with me."

"So then you met Mama?" Maria leaned her elbows on the table and propped her head on her hands. "Was it romantic?"

Shadow heaved a sigh. "Damn you're nosey."

"You know who my mama is." She smirked.

"Yes...and I know you got that smirk from her," he said, a little bit irritated. "And it's the same smirk Sonic has."

Maria chuckled. "Tell me, Papa...please?"

Shadow softened at that..._Papa... _"I wouldn't call it romantic... Your mom hit me with a batard." He rubbed his forehead. He couldn't help smiling at Maria's laughter. "Your mom holds me and talks to me...and tells me I'm special... She's more energetic than Maria was, and has different tastes...but I...I need her."

"You need me too?" Maria continued to flood him with questions.

"Of course." Shadow smiled warmly at her.

"Mom says you think too much and need to relax." She thanked the waitress for bringing their drinks. Ramune was an interesting treat, as it was in a glass bottle with a marble for the stopper. Once the seal was broken, the little marble would clink around in the bottle neck, restrained by two dents in the glass when tilting the bottle back for a drink. Between the marble and the odd flavors offered, it was certainly a novelty drink.

"I do," he admitted.

"...Afraid bad things will happen?" Maria averted her eyes again.

Shadow sighed a bit. "You shouldn't be worried about me any more than your mom."

"Well..." Maria looked up at him, "she doesn't want you to worry, and she told me you worry about me a lot."

"You're a nosey brat." He messed up her bangs.

"Was there ever a time you weren't worried about things?" Maria asked.

"Yes," he replied, "lots of times." He smiled gently at the girl. "When you used to sleep snuggled up on my chest, I was happy." Maria blushed at that. "You were probably too young to remember that…."

"Sooo...since it's Father's Day...what could I do to make you worry less?" The dark blue hedgehog smiled back at him.

"Well...if you'd answer your phone a bit more promptly." He glanced at her purse sitting on the table with a cell phone strap hanging out of it.

She chuckled, "I think I can do that."

"Good." He smiled; it was a relieved smile.

The waitress came up a few minutes later. "Let's see... Who had the okonomiyaki?"

* * *

All work and no play makes Shadow cranky…or should that be crankier than usual? It had been about three days since the dark hedgehog had gotten a wink of sleep. Sara had gone to bed before him as usual, which certainly constituted 'no play.' He managed to catch maybe two hours' sleep before he felt restless again and decided to stretch his legs. He was good at slipping out of bed unnoticed, and headed downstairs to start the coffee pot...he might even need a cup to get through the day.

It was still rather dark out, and Shadow's sensitive ears detected the rain clearly as it splattered against the roof and windows. He thought he must still be half asleep as his nose detected a familiar but not entirely welcome scent. Passing the living room on the way to the kitchen, he glanced over at the couch, where the scent seemed to be coming from. _Chase was probably over yesterday...that's it..._ He then glanced at the door to the house, though, and grimaced. A green Pro Extreme Gear was leaned up next to it. _…That bastard had better not be where I think he is_. Shadow gritted his teeth together.

He forced himself to walk into the kitchen without going to the couch to see if it was occupied by a certain orange hedgehog. The idea had popped into his head and was now swimming around freely, as were thoughts of him kicking the boy's ass for even coming around. He managed to beat back his thoughts long enough to spoon ground up coffee beans into a filter, and then put that into the coffee pot. He added water and turned the machine on, the sound of the water draining through the machine mixing with the sounds of rain from outside.

Shadow lay his head down on the table. Soon, the black beverage brewing in the pot wafted to his nose, a far more welcome scent than another hedgehog in his territory. He could see the back of the couch through the kitchen door and hoped by the High One that he was only imagining that Chase was sleeping on it. A sudden bout of fatigue overtook him, and Shadow's eyes fought to stay open, only to close moments later.

Voices finally filtered through to Shadow's tired mind about ten minutes later. He kept his eyes shut, though, pretending to be asleep.

"Ahh...you should really go, Chase...Dad could wake up any minute!" Maria said in a hushed whisper.

"So? He didn't wake me on the couch...bet he doesn't even know I spent the night," the boy replied.

Shadow snarled mentally. Well, now he knew.

"I...don't think he's going to like waking up with you here." Maria rummaged through the fridge for something to eat.

"He doesn't like me that much anyway...besides...I've been here for breakfast before. I'm hungry," Chase replied.

"Well yeah, but you were invited by mom those times," she reminded him.

Chase pulled one of the kitchen chairs back, and winced at the scraping noise it made, sure it would wake up Shadow. His ear twitched a bit, but he otherwise didn't stir. "Wow...he's out like a light."

Maria's teeth were gritted at that sound, and she checked back to her dad. "Well...he hasn't been sleeping lately...he does crash some times. Maybe I should start calling you Lucky." She pulled out some orange juice and set it on the table, then the carton of eggs.

Chase exhaled, "Maybe you should. The way we've avoided getting into trouble with him's amazing." The boy chuckled.

Maria turned on the stove and got out a skillet. She cracked a few eggs into it and put a few slices of toast in the toaster. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Uhh…I like eggs in a basket," he replied.

Maria cut a hole in one of the slices of bread she got out and put it in a second skillet, then cracked an egg into the center of it. "I haven't had this in ages."

"Thanks for letting me stay last night. I can't believe it's still raining like that," Chase commented on the rain. Out the kitchen window, he could hardly see anything.

"Not a problem...unless dad wakes up." She worried a bit about that. They'd come home so late last night, her parents were already up in their bedroom. At least she hadn't stayed with Chase on the couch; there would've been blood over that one!

"Ahh, it's okay, I can outrun him as long as I have my Gear shoes."

"You can-not!" Maria replied.

"Bet he doesn't even know I'm here." He smirked over at the apparently sleeping hedgehog. "He didn't know I was here last week either."

Shadow's ear focused on his words. His quills tensed considerably at that, though he waited to hear things out; if he was going to lash out like he wanted, he'd better have a damn good reason.

"Remember, Ria? I was up in your room an-"

"Shush!" Maria insisted.

"And what?" Shadow said suddenly, his blood red eyes gazing harshly on the boy.

"N-Nothing, Mister Shadow! I...we were jus...she wanted me to review her new book so I was reading it up there…." Chase stammered as the imposing black hedgehog rose to his feet.

"You know you're not allowed in my little girl's room." There was a feral growl accompanying that statement.

"I know..." Chase gulped and backed up out of his seat.

"Dad!" Maria quickly turned off the stove top. She knew this could get ugly quick. "Chase didn't do anything! It's like he said, he was reading my book, that's all."

"Like your mother said Duo never did anything to her?" Shadow growled.

"Oh shit...Chase! Run!" Truth or not, her dad was about to blow a gasket, and Maria quickly grabbed him by the elbow before he could grab Chase around the neck.

"I'm really sorry! It won't happen again!" The boy stumbled back out of the kitchen and ran for the front door.

Sara was just coming downstairs in time to see Chase grabbing his board. "Chase...?"

"Sorry, Mrs. Shadow! I gotta run before your mate kills me!" He opened the door and a bunch of rain flew in, soaking part of the carpet. He'd stayed overnight to avoid the rain, and only a couple seconds had already soaked him to the bone. There was no way he could use his Gears in a downpour like this.

"Shadow!" Sara called, but he didn't seem to hear her, or Maria.

"Your dad may have gotten away from me, but _you_ are not!" Shadow bolted out the door after him.

"What's this about?" Sara's mouth hung agape.

"Dad found out Chase was in my room a while ago without his knowing, now he thinks--oh god what does he think?!" Maria scrambled out the door after them, out into the rain. Chase had abandoned his Gear board on the side of the road and was now trying to flee from the black and red hedgehog. Shadow had the clear advantage in size, strength, and speed. Maria had that speed too, however, and attempted to chase him down. She had soon tackled her father to the black top, knocking Chase out of his grip. "Daddy! You are _not _going to punish Chase because of something his father did or didn't do! I know you're angry, but please don't!"

Shadow snorted and tried to get up, though Maria kept a grip on his ankle and Shadow fell to the ground. "This doesn't concern you!"

Chase had gotten out of Shadow's grip and began running down the street, cursing over his waterlogged Gear shoes. "Doesn't it?! Mama told me everything! I know what happened! I know why you hate him so much but _Chase isn't DUO! He's my friend!"_

The umber hedgehog stayed there on the grass dividing the street and the sidewalk, the rain beating down on him. It was the same kind of thing Sara had told him before. Maria let go of his leg and got up to her knees. Shadow sighed, slowly picking himself off the ground and peering back at his child.

"Papa! Please! Don't hurt him! It's just going to make things worse...you know it!" Maria pleaded with him. She'd begun crying, the sound piercing Shadow to his core…. He'd made her cry again.

Chase slowed down, sensing he wasn't being followed and turned back toward the father and daughter. Sensing the struggle was at a close, the boy was compelled to go back to his friend. It was no use running in rain like this anyway. His ear suddenly folded back as he heard a mechanical noise in the rain. A car. He turned, but there were no headlights. But the form started coming into view nonetheless. _Shit!_

"MARIA!" She was still in the street and wouldn't even see it coming! "Maria! Out of the road!" He ran as fast as he could, his voice was being drowned out by the rain, but she came into his view now, standing in the road…. He had to hurry.

"What the?!" Shadow was shoved back down on the ground as Chase sprinted through. His hands made contact with the girl's shoulder and he shoved her back with all his might. She went flying away from him as the sound of the car finally reached them, and the squealing of tires as it came crashing into an orange hedgehog.


	19. Forgiving Faults

For a brief instant, the pounding rain was replaced with the sound of flesh hitting against metal as the car plowed into the boy. He rolled over the hood before being flung several feet away and scraping on the pavement. The tires of the car squealed, but there was no slowdown...it moved on, uncaring, as though the driver had only hit a squirrel or something. The rain was sheeting down so hard that there was no catching the license plate; the only thing that mattered right now was sprawled out on the road, unmoving.

"...Chase?" Maria shakily drew herself to her feet. The rain started to recede a bit, but she wished it hadn't considering what she was looking at, a set of sore shoulders her only consequence.

Shadow stood silently, his body frozen while he wondered what to do. He wasn't eager to see if the boy was alive, but he hoped he was for Maria's sake. The blood smear on the ground was not an encouraging sign.

"Chase?" Maria finally found the strength to run over to him, and knelt down by her friend. "Chase! Answer me... Please!"

At this point, Sara had finally come outside after them, a rainbow umbrella held overhead. It didn't take long to spot them; they'd only gone about a block and a half away. "Shadow?" She strode over to his side, but her attention quickly turned to the children. "High One..." Her grip slackened and the umbrella fell to the ground, landing quietly on the grass. "...What have you done?"

"Chase!" Maria shook the boy until he opened his eyes; the pain was clearly painted on his features, though he smiled.

"..Ria...you're safe." He coughed.

"_Baka!_" Maria sobbed, "You're hurt really bad!"

"Sorry...I was stupid, wasn't I?" He reached a hand out to Maria, who gladly took it. He lay his head back down upon the pavement and closed his eyes tightly.

"Chase! Chase! Stay with me! Don't go!" Maria pleaded with him. Something green caught her eyes, just behind his quills this time…an emerald, his trophy for winning the Gear Expo a few years back. "Papa! Do something!"

Shadow had walked over to the kids while Sara phoned an ambulance. Shadow's eyes held some compassion to them; he had saved his daughter, after all. "I'm sorry…. It's my fault."

"Do something, Papa!! You're the Ultimate Life Form!" Maria got to her feet, grabbing the emerald first. She'd turned to her father and beat her fists angrily against his chest. "Why won't you do anything?!" she cried.

Shadow winced at the emerald hitting him, though he knew he deserved it. He put his arms around Maria, not surprised that his arms were quickly skewered by her quills. "I can't move him…. Your mom's calling 911…." He looked over at the boy. "All I can do is try to stop the bleeding."

"But...but...what about Chaos Control?! What good is it?!" Maria sobbed into his chest, quickly reverting to misery.

Shadow gently stroked her quills. "I can warp time, I can unleash unfathomable power...I just can't...heal."

"...They're on their way," Sara said somberly.

Shadow let go of Maria and knelt down to see if he could do anything about the bleeding. The girl was quickly kneeling on the other side of her friend, her hand clutching the emerald tightly. _I have to help…I have to..._ Maria tried not to cry anymore, and was somewhat glad of the rain for hiding her tears, though it did make the job of bandaging Chase that much more difficult.

_I want to help..._ Maria's hand tightened around the emerald. She couldn't hear the rain or her parents talking anymore. All that was in her vision was a hurt and possibly dying friend. The Chaos power she'd called on during the race began to swirl through her in her emotional state. The emerald reacted with a soft radial glow to it. Maria placed her free hand on Chase's chest. The emerald light pulsed from her hand, and Maria's eyes closed while she focused on the feeling "Chaos..._Healing!"_

Shadow watched speechlessly as the emerald light folded around the boy. Sara was also awestruck, but would it work? "Chaos...Healing?" Sara mouthed.

When the light faded, the blood on the hedgehog had stopped, and his face seemed more peaceful. "...Chase?" Maria lightly put a hand on his cheek.

Chase's breathing had certainly eased, and his golden eyes cracked open. "..Ria?"

The girl enveloped him in her arms and smiled brightly. "You're okay!"

"Ahhh! Not if you smother meee!" The boy coughed.

Shadow even sighed in relief. "Never an ambulance when you need one," he commented as the emergency vehicle came into view. "Hey. You need to go to the MRC?" he asked Chase without looking back at him.

"Well...I'm tired and I ache but...I think I'll live." He smiled.

Sara sighed in relief. "I won't mind sending the ambulance away then," she commented. "You don't mind joining us for breakfast, do you?" She glanced at Shadow while she said that, and he held a neutral gaze at that.

"I won't get pounded, will I?" The boy managed to sit up and stand at Maria's urgings.

"No," Shadow replied and headed back into the house.

* * *

Saving Maria's life had had a positive effect on Shadow's regard for Chase. He didn't complain when Maria ran off with him anymore, and he even joined them at the Gear park now and then. He remembered racing Gears once upon a time, but he honestly preferred his own two feet.

There was one matter that was bothering the darkened hedgehog, however. He'd spoken to his father-in-law about it not long after the incident. And that brought him to his not-so-little girl's room about a week following that.

"Maria?" Shadow knocked at the door lightly.

"Come in!"

Shadow let himself in, finding his daughter reading a book in bed. "I wanted to talk to you about something," he said, getting right down to business. He took a seat on the edge of her bed and smiled a little, though his expression was typically serious.

The girl slipped a bookmark between the pages and set it on the nightstand. "Yes, Dad?" She gave him a quizzical look.

"I'm really glad you've grown up in peaceful times." He lightly stroked her hair; her bangs had become annoying like her mother's, often falling over her eyes. "I've had to use my powers for battle...so I've never imagined using them to heal."

"Is this about Chase?" the girl asked and sat up a bit straighter.

"...Sort of." Shadow bowed his head. "I have a little gift for you." Shadow reached into his quills and drew out a gold band that was similar to the ones he wore, but larger. "...It's kind of a necklace."

Maria had noticed the resemblance and thought back to the emerald light had spilled out once when she accidentally unclasped one of his bracelets. She was already starting to put two and two together, but felt like asking, "What's this for?"

"...It's a Chaos limiter," Shadow replied.

"...Do you think I need this?"

"Probably not." Shadow glanced at the gold bands on his wrists. "It's more of a precaution. For me...I can radiate a lot of Chaos power...even with these on. It's part of me being the 'ultimate.'"

"So that's what that light was?" Maria asked about the incident without naming it. Shadow understood and nodded. She then glanced at the band she'd been handed, and then back at her father.

"Would you mind wearing it?" he asked gently.

Something in his eyes told her it was important to him. "Oh, all right." She clipped the gold band around her neck. It wasn't quite a choker, but she guessed rightly that it was made larger so she wouldn't need a new one when she finished growing...that is, if she needed it at all. It was very lightweight so it didn't bother her in that aspect. Perhaps for the first time, she was aware that there was Chaos flowing through her body, as the limiter began to siphon it off.

Instead of probing her father more about Chaos, she asked another very natural question, "How does it look?"

He smiled as she complied with his wishes. "Hmmm... Pritty."

Maria laughed. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"

"Nope." Shadow drew her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

Shadow was having another lazy day, resting on the living room couch. He couldn't sleep in the den today since Ash and his troop were having a Brawl tournament in there. Sara had made herself available to the children, providing them with snacks, and sometimes ripping away a controller to show off her own skills. Between one of these runs, she decided to check on her lazy mate.

Of course, when the weight of a female hedgehog fell on Shadow's chest, his eyes flew open. "Hello, sleepyhead." She grinned at him.

Shadow grunted idly and put his arms around her. "What do you want?"

Sara gave his forehead a kiss, then another quick kiss to his lips. "How about you awake?"

"Nope. Not happenin'." Shadow lay his head back on a pillow and closed his eyes, trying to pull her down with him more. She was resisting, and he smirked a bit, making sure he pulled her further to him.

Sara scratched him behind the ears and rested against him. "I don't get to sleep in like you."

"Mmm...what do you really want?" he questioned at the sudden affection.

"Can't I just want to be with you?" She smiled.

He didn't have to answer, as a knock came at the door. "...Meh...I thought all of Ash's friends were here..." he commented.

"Come in!" Sara laughed at Shadow's blushing. With her on top of him, their pose did look a bit awkward.

"Hey! Is Maria here?" Blitz walked in and whistled. "Whoa, sorry I disturbed you!"

Shadow rolled his eyes while Sara shifted so she rested an arm on his chest to prop herself up on. "I'm just having fun with him. And no...Maria's out with Chase."

Shadow grunted partly out of habit and partly out of the pressure Sara was exerting on his chest. "They're probably at the Gear park."

"Aww man...she's always hanging out with him." The purple teen frowned. "I just got a new game I wanted to play with her…."

"Well, Ash and crew are in the den playing Brawl. What'd ya bring?" She got up off of Shadow, who was much relieved.

"Mario Kart Wii." He smiled.

"Oooh! Good choice. They just might break up the tourney for that." Sara smiled at him.

"Thanks, Auntie Sara!" Blitz said, and headed off into the den.

"It's not fair, you know," Shadow commented after his rival's son slipped into the den.

"..What is?" Sara tilted her head to regard her mate.

"The kids are always running off having fun." He shrugged.

"Missing Maria even though she hasn't moved out?" she asked softly.

"Kind of." He stood up and put an arm around Sara.

"I'm glad you don't mind Chase coming around...I think he's proved he wouldn't hurt her." Sara leaned against him a bit, then found herself swept off her feet.

"He makes her happy." Shadow started heading for the staircase a slight smile on his face, "You make me happy."

"So you're okay with the possibility they'll become mates?" She loosely had her arms around her love.

"No..." he replied simply. "...Not for a few years."

Sara laughed lightly, "Oh?"

"Yeah. Let them have their fun for now...and we'll have ours," Shadow said as the pair reached the bedroom.

"You know...since you've backed off on Chase...I kind of like the way you think, hon." His sky blue mate grinned.


	20. Moving On

Once again, Shadow found himself hanging strings of brightly colored paper around the edges of the living room, with streamers falling down about halfway. Ash was helping him this time, at least, by blowing up balloons. Shadow cringed a bit as another one "accidentally exploded."

"Are we going to have any balloons left by the time you're done?" Shadow asked, tacking up another streamer and beginning to twist the next strand.

"Sorry, Pop. It was an accident." Ash's smirk gave him away, and Shadow rolled his eyes at that.

"I want at least three in each corner, so stop fooling around." He didn't have a trace of anger in his voice. As he worked on the pink and purple streamers, he wondered at how being coupled to Sara had changed him. On his own, there were a lot of things that he wouldn't have ever done, handling pink streamers being just one of them.

"Yes, sir." The now teenage hedgehog looked away so he wouldn't catch the glare his father gave him and went back to blowing up balloons.

Shadow rubbed his temples before working on some of the finer, glittery decorations. After that, he grabbed the few balloons that hadn't been "accidentally" popped and began hanging them around the room. He had a feeling this was the last time he would be doing this for his daughter as he added the final decorations to a blank wall--a Sweet Sixteen cardboard banner covered in glitter.

"Well...how is it?" He looked over at his sky blue and black son.

"Girlie. Very girlie," he commented dryly.

"It's what your mother wants." He smiled a bit and went to check on Sara in the kitchen. He found her covered in flour and confectioner's sugar and quite a bit of icing while she attempted decorating the cake. "...Getting any of it on the cake?" He wrinkled his nose.

Sara chuckled a bit. "Yes."

"We could've just ordered one, you know." He stood just behind and to the side of her. He looked over her shoulder at the cake; it was heart shaped, made in a Valentine's mold, and the icing was largely pink with white trim. Sara was currently attempting to add some pastel pink roses to the upper left corner of the heart.

"Yes, but this is a special occasion." She frowned as the icing bag accidentally hit her rose, ruining it. "Open wide," she said suddenly. She took advantage of his momentarily gaping mouth to force the gob of icing into his mouth, laughing while she did so. He choked down the icing rose and attempted to wipe off any remaining bits from the corners of his mouth. He really wasn't as much of a sweet fan as Sara, not by a long shot.

"Do you and Sonic live to humiliate me?"

"Well, you're still here, so I'd say you can't be feeling too bad about it." She smiled.

Shadow wrapped his arms around her waist gently and kissed the top of her head. Her sweet smell was mixed with the scent of cake icing. "Mmm...I don't mind licking icing but..." He took a couple laps at the back of her ears.

Sara laughed a bit, "We'll have time for that after the party...now let me finish this before Maria gets home!"

* * *

Shadow's house was a bit more crowded than usual. Sonic, Amy, Blitz, and Rift were present, of course, with Grandpa Chuck arriving as well. Maria had made a few Mobian and human friends who had shown up as well. A lot of them came from either the arcade or the Gear park. Race the Swallow was of them, Grace the giraffe was from the arcade, and Shiba the cat worked at the local GameStop. Kelly and Angie were two human friends the girl had befriended in art classes at the museum before she became an illustrator. With that many people in the house, the place seemed kind of cramped. None of Ash's friends were there, which was part of where his attitude came from. The final guest arrived with the birthday girl as she and Chase entered the house.

"Happy Birthday, sweetie!" Sara smiled proudly at her child, who was now quite mature. She looked over her 16 year old daughter; her birthday always brought about memories of her at earlier stages of growth all the way back to the womb. It was hard to believe 16 years had passed, but the full figure wearing the purple and yellow V neck shirt and matching skirt was proof of it. _My little girl, huh?_

Maria smiled at all assembled, especially her parents. "Oh wow...I haven't seen decorations like this since I was ten!"

"And you haven't had my strawberry cake since you were nine, right?" Sara smirked.

"You made that?!" Maria practically squealed.

Shadow twitched an ear against the noise. "Yes she did."

"When do we eat?"

Laughter sprouted up all around. "How about you tear open some presents first?" the green swallow put in.

"Yes! I can't wait 'til ya open your gifts! I want to see what ya got!" Angie said enthusiastically. She had caramel hair and green eyes and slightly resembled a certain pizza man.

It wasn't long before a trail of wrapping paper and ribbon was strewn on the living room floor. Maria's gifts included clothing, a new iPod, a pretty little cell phone strap, a charm bracelet, a few gift cards, etc. Possibly the best gift, or at least the one with the most thought behind it, was a scrapbook from her mother. Like she'd done for Shadow over 14 years ago, a collection of pictures and pieces of her life were laid with care in the pages of the book, outlined in craft paper and ribbons. No matter how much laughter there'd be over her baby pictures, it still made the teen smile. "How long did this...?"

"Sixteen years," Sara replied. She laughed at Maria's shock. "I have one for Ash too, when he reaches your age."

The boy's quills flared and everyone laughed at that. "Mom!"

She smiled and continued, "I add one to three pages every year and work on it just after your birthday." She smiled a bit. "I keep adding pages to the one I made your father too."

"Really?" Maria looked over at her dad.

Shadow scratched the back of his head. "Ahh...yeah." He took a glance at his mate. "She has a way of catching the best memories on paper."

"I want to see it some time." She beamed.

"Tell me my book doesn't have ribbons and lace…PLEASE!" Ash pursed his eyebrows together, giving his mom a horrified look.

"Hmm... You'll have to wait 'til you're 16 to find out." Sara smirked.

"No way! You are totally burning every baby picture! Now!" Ash whined.

More laughter picked up, and when it died away, Maria was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Well, how about that cake now?"

Sara nodded, and the guests convened in the kitchen for cake and ice cream. It had turned out well, in spite of Shadow looking over her shoulder and making her nervous toward the end. A round of Happy Birthday was sung as per tradition.

"Make a wish!" Sara exclaimed.

Maria blew out the candles and mild cheering reverberated through the group. "What'd you wish for?" Chase asked.

"I'm not supposed to tell." She grinned. "But I wished..." She blushed a bit. "I'd like to have a wedding."

"W-What?" Shadow wasn't the only one in shock.

"I want to have a wedding. I know I don't need one, but I want one." Maria smiled softly.

Shadow looked a bit concerned at that; he was specifically aiming his gaze at Chase. "A wedding?"

Maria knew what he was looking at, and her expression softened even more. "It means a lot to me. I know Mobians usually just mate and the scent says it all but..." She looked over at her boyfriend and then her dad. "Chase gave me my birthday present today." She held up her left hand, and a small emerald ring was sitting on her ring finger.

There was a sort of sinking feeling that washed over Shadow, understanding what that meant. As benevolent as he'd been toward Chase since the car accident, this was the true test of his feelings and restraint. He'd guessed quite rightly that this would be her last birthday in the house. He looked directly into the yellow eyes of the orange teen.

"It's not like I can deny her, but I do have one thing to say to you...okay?"

"Uhh...sure…." Chase said uncertainly.

"Treat her well or I swear I'll put your lights out." His words were an echo of something a wiser man than he had said once upon a time. The threat wasn't backed up with a feral growl, but the oddest sight imaginable; a smirk.

"...Are you all right, hon?" Sara put her hand on his forehead.

"Yeah." His smirk remained. "Don't worry about it…I've learned to let things go."

* * *

July 2nd was beautiful and sunny, a perfectly lovely day, with just a bit of overcast. The breeze kept things at a tolerable level, and it was a good thing too, as guests showed up for the event. There was a rose trellis in the shape of an archway set up in the middle of the garden they'd chosen for the wedding. It was covered with white blossoms and pink roses, a fine white mesh fabric tied in a bow at the top of it and spanning out to the sides. Similar floral arrangements were added to the already existing garden. Chairs were set up in rows, saving room for the isle, which was a red brick path. Many human weddings had been held on this property, a mansion that was open to the public as part of a park, but this was the first Mobian wedding it had ever seen.

Shadow stood under a shady part of the building, watching the Mobians and humans filter into the chairs. The one he was least eager to see was Duo, though he knew he was an unavoidable part of this arrangement. He sighed, thinking how much simpler normal Mobian unions were. Just scent alone would mark a girl as having a mate or not, and nobody had to have witnesses to the event to know it happened. He remembered Chris' wedding and how big it was; this wasn't nearly that scale, but he still felt himself being smothered by the crowd, and he'd yet to do anything.

"Shadow...?" Sara approached him, wearing her silky white dress. It had to be modified, however, to accommodate a growing, round belly.

"Hey." He put his arms around her gently.

"It's almost time." She nuzzled him.

"Yeah." He glanced over at the bright open garden, waiting for the blessed event. "Are you sure you wanted one of these?"

Sara chuckled a bit. "More complicated, isn't it?" she asked gently.

He nodded. "I've got a knot in my stomach. It's worse than when I asked your dad about courting you."

"And you're not even getting married." She smirked a bit, then turned back to the outdoor wedding.

"I like our way of doing things better."

"Well, this is what she wants." Sara shrugged. "And before you ask why...I'd think it's obvious…. She grew up here on Earth, she has human friends... Like Amy and I said, it's romantic."

"It's a pain in the ass," Shadow said flatly, but then caught sight of his daughter.

Her white gown had puffy shoulders and "angel wing" sleeves; a pale blue sash was around her waist. The dress wasn't much more ornate than the one Sara had, its main differences revolving around some lace trimmings and pale blue accents. Her bangs were parted down the center and she'd had them straightened somewhat. Her veil wasn't down yet, but it had some teardrop shaped beads at the hair clip part.

"Whew...you're not supposed to be the one with cold feet trying to hide out today, you know!" Maria scolded her dad lightly, but she was smiling. "Everyone's here!"

"Congratulations, dear, I'll be watching for you." Sara gave her girl a kiss before heading back to the crowd.

Her ruby eyes beamed at her father. She was almost as tall as her mother, and she might have had an inch or two left before she was truly full grown. She certainly didn't have to look up so far to see her dad any more. "Ready, Papa?"

He shifted in his white tuxedo jacket and sighed. "I guess so."

Music started playing and the ceremony had begun. Chase walked down the brick path to the altar in a traditional black tuxedo. He looked a little nervous, but managed to make it to the front okay. Of course, all eyes were on Maria as she walked arm in arm with her father down the aisle. She was positively radiant, and Shadow's expression, which was usually neutral, slipped to a slight, if sad smile. She gave her dad a kiss on the cheek as he let go of her hand and took his proper place for the rest of the ceremony, by his mate.

The pastor they'd chosen was a human, the same man who'd married Chris and Helen. The hardest part of the ceremony for Shadow was at the beginning of it, as the pastor recited a traditional part of the wedding...

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

There was a slight hesitation in the air. For a hedgehog who'd once blown up part of the moon, who'd faced off against the giant Biolizard, who could warp time around him and do unimaginable things...saying the next two words seemed strangely difficult. "...I do."

He sat back down numbly next to Sara, who gently took his hand and smiled at him. He returned the smile mechanically and turned his eyes to the ceremony going on. The vows of better or worse, of love through all conditions...he didn't need to hear those from Sara when they'd become partners, but it was different now that the words were leaving his daughter's lips.

As he watched the beautiful young lady he'd helped raise, his mind wandered. The dress she'd chosen...reminded him of something...someone, rather, whom he hadn't thought about in a long time. For all the time that had passed, she might have worn a similar gown, if she'd had the chance this Maria had. He suddenly saw a blonde human standing where his daughter had been, surrounded in a white light. _Maria…._

The dreamy visage of a grown up Maria wearing the wedding dress turned, with a bouquet of roses in her hands. She smiled. "_Thank you, Shadow. You've given her the life I always wanted."_ She turned back around, and the vision faded, the hedgehog Maria receiving her wedding ring and smiling broadly.

Sara noticed a couple tears running down Shadow's cheeks, though he kept his focus foreword. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

Shadow nodded silently. He looked over at the bump that was his mate's belly and smiled. "I hope it's another girl," he whispered softly.

All attention was soon on the pastor as the final vows were said. "You may now kiss the bride!" he announced, the two gladly joining lips.

"I'm sure Maria's happy," the ebony and crimson hedgehog said quietly to Sara, though the phrase carried a double meaning. There was a certain finality as he watched his "little girl" and her very soon to be true-mate rush down the aisle. He'd see her soon at the reception, but there was a certain emptiness welling up in his heart just the same. _It seems I gave up one Maria...and now I've given up another,_ he thought, with a measure of both sadness and a strange sense of peace.

...The End.


End file.
